Choosing the right MDR

Managed Detection and Response is not a one size fit all. And if you don’t take the time to find the right partner for your needs, once you need assistance, your MDR team may not be there for you.
 
With security at the forefront of every business owner’s mind, the ability to eliminate threats before they manifest is crucial. As opposed to being reactionary, MDR services can make individuals more aware of the potential threats and improve ability to detect and respond to them. 
 
Good MDR vendors don’t just alert you when there’s a threat, they actively stop it. They can tell the difference between a real threat or false alarm and can help prevent advanced attacks that traditional security service providers may not be able to.
 
By outsourcing the service, MDR partners supply a team of individuals at a price in your budget. There are real people at the other line looking out for your protection and to answer the phone should you be concerned. Some of the tools providers use are expensive, so rather than purchasing it on your own, it can often be cost-effective and less stressful to partner up with a vendor.
 
Now, how do you know the MDR partner you are working with will truly do what it promises? When there’s a potential attack or breach, will they be there? Or leave you to fight for yourself?
 
What are some elements or questions you should be asking when looking for the right MDR partner? Here are a few you’ll want to keep in mind.
 
Be sure your MDR partner fits your organization’s size, security controls and needs. Don’t be afraid to ask for proof to validate a provider’s claims.
Ask: Can you actively respond by stopping a breach in minutes? And this doesn’t just mean automated blocking of known threats, but do you have the ability to find and prevent creative threats?
If my business faces a breach in the middle of the night, will I be able to get a human on the phone 24/7 to assist and answer my question?
How do you detect and respond to threats?
How often does your AI detect cleverly hidden threats that can lead to sophisticated, targeted attacks?
How does your platform process data?
How much of the threat surface does your platform cover? And rather just them saying, ‘Yes, we do cloud, endpoint, etc.’ follow up and ask them to explain their coverage.

These are only a few of the vital questions and pieces of information you need to know when determining the best MDR to partner with. This can seem daunting, and not easy to take on for the first time. 
Here's a buyer's guide from a leading MDR. In this, the most important keys they’ve found for consumers include: Visibility, detection capability, response capability and signal fidelity.
Their buyer’s guide includes dozens of additional questions, and stresses the importance of being vigilant and really looking into your MDR partner. 
“Managed Detection and Response (MDR) reimagines cyber security,” The buyer’s guide says. “It takes the traditional security mindset and turns it on its head. By realizing that an enterprise’s digital borders can never be completely secure, it turns the attention inward and, in doing so, it turns the tables on attackers.”

There is a lot of vetting needed to go at this process on your own, so maybe there’s a better way. Instead of taking the risk of potentially choosing the wrong MDR yourself, Atlas7 has the connections. Atlas7 already knows the MDRs that are trustworthy, and knows the ones to avoid that will promise you one thing, but won’t deliver.
Some of the biggest companies around the world are feeling the consequences of breaches, and many of them could have been avoided. 
By setting yourself up with a partner like Atlas7, the legwork won’t be on you. You won’t have to worry asking an MDR the “right questions” because we’ll take care of that work for you, and in many cases, already know the answer.
What are you looking for in an MDR partner? We’d love to hear and assist.
 
Bonus content: Other important characteristics for an MDR include offering behavioral analytics, unlimited retention window of full-fidelity network traffic, innovative security visualizations, pervasive visibility, threat hunting, intelligence, validation, investigation, containment, remediation and unlimited forensic exploration on-demand.