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The world of threat detection and response is broad, with many different components. And each of those components must work together to fully protect your business’s digital assets. Security and information event management (SIEM) and endpoint detection and response (EDR) are two pieces of the larger security puzzle. The ultimate goal is to eliminate dwell time (the amount of time an adversary goes undetected in your environment). While EDR and SIEM both play a part, neither solves the puzzle on its own.
Are SIEM and EDR the Same?
No. The biggest difference between SIEM and EDR is their different roles.
SIEM offers real-time monitoring and analysis of events as well as tracking and logging of security data. When used as intended, SIEM can help you recognize potential security threats and vulnerabilities before they have a chance to disrupt business operations. It surfaces user behavior anomalies and can employ artificial intelligence to automate threat detection and incident response processes. SIEM is critical to a modern-day security operation center (SOC).
The problem is, SIEM is only as powerful as the resources behind it. Most organizations don’t have the in-house staff and expertise to leverage the proactive security capability of SIEM. Instead, they use SIEM data for after-action forensics.
EDR serves a very different function. Its role is to protect and defend the endpoint, anything that accesses the internet (mobile, laptop, server, IoT, etc). Data from EDR adds to the overall telemetry collected by SIEM, so the two are complementary. Here are some of the important differences:
- Scope
- SIEM ingests and aggregates an immense amount of data from multiple systems (network devices, servers, domain controllers, all systems in your threat vectors) and analyzes the data
- EDR focuses on endpoint threat detection and response
- Capabilities
- SIEM is designed to gather and analyze data and identify threats throughout the network, with limited response capabilities unless you pair SIEM with a SOC (which is a best practice).
- EDR is designed to detect and respond to specific threats to the endpoint.
- Telemetry
- SIEM gathers the telemetry data generated by a wide range of systems and aggregates in one place for increased visibility and more thorough analysis.
- EDR collects data directly from activity at endpoints and provides that data to SIEM.
How Do SIEM and EDR Work Together?
SIEM is looking for the needle in the haystack, gathering data from a variety of sources across the enterprise to recognize and single out security threats and vulnerabilities. EDR is one important data source for SIEM tools.
EDR is an endpoint security solution, monitoring devices and systems that connect to the network, looking for threats like ransomware and malware. Its purpose is to detect and respond.
How Do SOAR and XDR Fit In?
There are so many acronyms to understand in the security space, ie EDR vs SIEM vs SOAR vs XDR. First, you have to understand what it means; then, what it does. Here’s a quick glossary:
- EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response): Detects and responds to threats to the endpoint.
- SIEM (Security and Information Event Management): Ingests and aggregates data across multiple systems (network devices, servers, domain controllers, all systems in your threat vectors) and analyzes the data to help identify and isolate potential threats.
- SOAR (Security Orchestration & Automated Response): SOAR has three main components: security orchestration, security automation, and security response. The purpose of SOAR is to enable organizations to help reduce dwell time in two important ways: reducing mean time to detect (MTTD) and mean time to respond (MTTR). It prioritizes alerts that are identified by various security tools, including SIEM. SOAR also enables security teams to automate incident response procedures.
- XDR (Extended Detection and Response): XDR is comprehensive, advanced threat detection that streamlines data collection, analysis, and response across all threat vectors paired with a single pane of glass for advanced threat hunting. Doing it right is a continuous process (tool selection, integration, monitoring, remediation, etc), making it complicated and costly. For this reason, many organizations look to a fully managed security services provider like DataEndure.
All four of these solutions are important elements of an overall cybersecurity plan. Most require advanced IT teams because a solid security stance isn’t something you can set and forget. Cybercriminals are continually changing their tactics, so you need experts who will continually evolve your response.
Is MDR the Same as EDR? Is MDR the Same as SIEM?
One last acronym to add to the mix: MDR—or Managed Detection and Response. If we were to stack rank security solutions, MDR would fit in between EDR (endpoint protection only) and XDR (protection for all threat vectors).
A complete MDR offering goes beyond EDR and should include endpoint and network detection and response, vulnerability assessment, and automated purple teaming managed and monitored by a 24×7 security operations team. That’s because many of today’s sophisticated cybersecurity threats are network borne and not endpoint-based-driving the necessity of network telemetry, not just endpoint analysis.
MDR is not the same as SIEM. SIEM serves as an aggregator, ingesting and aggregating data across multiple systems.
Finding the right MDR provider can mean the difference between protecting your assets and falling victim to a cyber attack. DataEndure is an MDR leader with a differentiated consumption-based solution that includes:
- A combination of endpoint and full network security
- A single pane of glass for visibility across the entire security ecosystem
- Validation of security controls
- Fully managed response service
- A staffed Security and Operations Center (SOC) is available 24×7
- Integrated threat intelligence and threat hunting
By consuming security as a service, you get out of the endless buy-build-manage cycle.
DataEndure: Integrate EDR and SIEM into Full Coverage XDR
Protection from cybercrime is more important than ever–and it’s not going away. In 2023 alone, it is expected to cost businesses over $8 trillion. Businesses either need to find and acquire everything to handle in-house, or you have to find someone trust to do it for you.
At DataEndure, we do all the work on your behalf—researching the best security tools, integration, data correlation, fine-tuning, upgrading and updating tool sets, all backed by human experts in a fully staffed 24x7x365 SOC. This means you can focus on your business while we focus on maintaining your security.
So questions like “What are the newest security threats, how are tools keeping up, how do I integrate everything”… are questions you no longer have to worry about. We’ve got you covered. Contact us today to get the protection your business needs.