Why Cybersecurity and EDR Solutions are More Important than Ever
Cybersecurity has grown exponentially over the last few years, with more and more attacks happening and more organizations being hacked by both insider, and external threats. But what can you do to prevent it?
With over 800,000 businesses being hacked each year, using solutions such as an EDR system to detect, prevent, and respond to both known and unknown threats can save you a lot of time, and hassle, and allow your business to operate without the worries of attackers walking their way into your systems.
In today's article, we’re going to take a look at why you should care about cybersecurity, and why EDR solutions are more important than ever – let’s jump right into it.
What is an EDR Solution?
EDR is an abbreviation for endpoint detection, and response. (An endpoint, is a device such as a laptop, PC, mobile phone, or server). An EDR solution is simply a platform that can be used to pull in data from those laptops, correlate it with known, and often unknown indicators to evaluate if there is a threat on a device.
Whilst your traditional anti-virus solutions such as McAffee or AVG will look for known viruses (based on signatures, and other indicators of compromise) - an EDR solution will look at behaviours on a device and identify threats, even if they’re brand new and have never been seen before. These are known as zero-day threats.
Why your business needs an EDR Solution
An EDR system 10 years ago might not have been that important, as cybercrime was not as big as it is today, but in light of recent wars, and tensions rising between countries – cybercrime has taken a massive uplift. Not to mention that with most people having online profiles and data stored in multiple different places, cybercriminals are ready and waiting to take that info and sell it on to the highest bidder.
So, why does your business need an EDR solution? Let’s find out;
A Huge Layer to Proactive Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is a massive subject, and with most companies around the world having some kind of infrastructure or device where IT equipment is used, having any kind of security in place is positive. An EDR solution, such as those used in Electric IT’s Silver and Gold Package will not only provide you with a safe working environment for you and your staff but will prevent any threats to your organization.
As we’ll cover in more detail below, human error is one of the biggest ways cybercriminals exploit and gain access to an organization, and having an EDR solution is just one more barrier for them to try a breakthrough, which is a tough cookie to crack.
Protection against Human Error
Did you know that human error, or at least human elements, are responsible for 82% of all cyberattacks? This means that even if your staff don’t intend to click a malicious link or run an unexpected script – they could be the reason your business goes under from a targeted attack on your brand and reputation.
An EDR solution, as above, is another step to preventing human error. Whilst your staff should be trained to some extent to know not to click links, open emails that are unexpected or provide their phone numbers to impersonated CEOs – this can often fail. Using a toolset like an EDR solution will provide you with that extra layer of security if your staff fail to spot common or uncommon attack attempts on your business.
Reduction of Cybersecurity Business Insurance (Cyber-Insurance)
Although you may not ever need to take our cybersecurity business insurance, if you’ve ever seen the quote process – you may know the stress and questions involved. One of the main questions that can bring your premium down is the question about proactive protection.
An EDR solution (that is reputable and known to most insurers) can bring your premium down by a good chunk, as you can often prevent the most known threats before it even has a chance to attack. Whilst this isn’t the case for all insurers, other benefits of using an EDR solution remain.
Prevent Threats both Known and Unknown
As we mentioned in our introduction, cybercriminals – especially the top groups and actors are all known for finding (or buying) holes in systems and exploits to use in a cyber-attack. These attacks are all preventable with the right tools, and an EDR solution is miles above your typical anti-virus or anti-malware tools.
Whilst anti-malware/anti-virus tools will look for signature-based matching, using ‘IOCs’ (indicators of compromise – indicators within a system that would show if you’re being attacked) - this only works if an attack has been spotted before, and your anti-viruses are up to date. But what happens when the threat is brand new, and unknown? Unfortunately – not much. Most traditional anti-virus tools will often see the attack, but wouldn’t know how to deal with it correctly, which is why EDR solutions are superior.
An EDR solution will not only provide the same level of coverage that your typical anti-viruses or anti-malware would, but will ensure that you’re covered even when the unknown strikes. By using the same signature-pattern matching, combined with machine analytics and AI, an EDR solution like the one used in our silver and gold packages will identify changes in a system or file that poses a threat to you, your staff, and your business.
Closing Notes
Cybersecurity, especially in today's day and age, is a massive factor and leaving your business open to threats can cause you a world of trouble, and in some cases legal issues and fines too. Being able to be ahead of an attacker using proactive solutions, such as an EDR system can prevent, and show holes in your network to ensure you can be as secure as possible should an attack occur.
Want to know more about our packages and EDR solution? Get in touch with us today and arrange a call to learn more about what we can do for you, and your business today.
