Why MDR is the Security Team Your Organization Needs

Editor’s note: In recognition of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month this October, we are publishing a series of blog posts dedicated to educating and informing you about cybersecurity practices. This is the eighth in a series of posts. Below, you can find a list of links to the rest of the series:

• FBI’s Warning: How to Protect Yourself from AI-powered Schemes
• Stuck on Windows 10? Here Are Your Options After Support Ends
• Job Scam Texts are On the Rise: Here are 5 Red Flags to Watch Out For
• Balance in Cybersecurity: Lock the Doors Before Boarding the Windows
• What is a Vishing Scam and How Do I Protect Myself?
• The CIA of Data Security: What It Means and Why It Matters
• Top 3 Cybersecurity Trends We Uncovered from GrrCON 2025
• BYOD for Smartphones: Balancing Security, Privacy and Cost (Posting Oct. 20)
• Ransomware Is Getting Smarter: How AI Is Changing the Threat Landscape (Posting Oct. 21)
• Numbers Don’t Lie: Phishing Training Works (Posting Oct. 22)
• Beware: Phishing Attacks Can Now Mimic Your Organization’s Login Page in Real Time (Posting Oct. 27)
• Traveling for Work? Here are the Best and Worst Ways to Connect. (Posting Oct. 28)
• Why You Should Care About Your Organization’s Security Culture Score (Posting Oct. 29)

Have you ever dreamed of hiring a highly skilled security team that not only monitors your network for active threats but also quickly responds to those threats in real time?

Seems like a pipe dream only big corporations like Facebook, Google and Apple can afford to use, right?

A managed detection and response (MDR) solution is a cost-effective service that detects, investigates and responds to threats across your IT environment. It combines technology and human expertise to catch attackers faster, limiting the time they have to cause harm to you and your organization.

At Hungerford, we’ve built our MDR services on top of a third-party MDR solution to help us swiftly respond to incidents. Let’s talk about what an MDR solution is, how it works and what you should look for in a good solution.

What is an MDR Solution?

Think of MDR as your organization’s fire protection system. It includes both the smoke alarms that detect danger and the firefighters who respond when there’s a problem.

• Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR): These are the smoke alarms on your company’s devices — laptops, servers and workstations. They sense early warning signs of trouble, like unusual activity or malware trying to spread.
• Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR): These are the smoke alarms in the cloud. They monitor account activity in tools like Microsoft 365, watching for suspicious logins or abnormal usage that might indicate stolen credentials.

The “detection” side of MDR is like the alarm sounding when something’s wrong. The “response” side is what happens next — the security experts who contain and extinguish the threat before it spreads.

How Does an MDR Solution Work?

Using AI and machine learning, MDR solutions identify suspicious activities and potential threats before they turn into full-blown disasters.

Unlike traditional antivirus software, MDR can detect new and emerging attacks, as it watches for signs that something could be malicious, even if it’s never been seen before.

Because MDR details every possible threat — regardless of severity or how likely it is a positive attack — it can generate a report of hundreds of “incidents” each day. For our clients, we go through the low- and high-priority incidents and only contact our clients when action is required on their end, which cuts down on the noise from unnecessary reports. That’s part of the human expertise aspect that is found in an MDR solution.

In a real-world example of how MDR works, our MDR service flagged an Outlook rule creation and locked down a user’s account during a phishing attack against one of our clients. The client’s EDR tool noticed suspicious activity, and the MDR service automatically removed it.

Are All MDR Solutions the Same?

Not all MDR solutions are created equal.

Just like multifactor authentication, there are good MDR solutions and not-so-good MDR solutions. Good MDR includes:

• 24/7/365 coverage: Attackers don’t just launch their attacks in broad daylight or take holidays off. They strike when you’re sleeping or when they think your systems are most vulnerable.
• Preauthorization to isolate: This allows your managed service provider or IT team to isolate a threat without waiting for a response from you. Isolation severely restricts an attacker’s ability to move throughout your network.

With these two features, not only can threats be detected during off-peak hours (which is when most attacks happen), but they also can be quickly contained to limit the damage.

Protect Your Organization

MDR is a vital solution for any organization, as no target — regardless of size — is off-limits. Many attackers target small businesses because they often don’t have the proper security systems in place.

Let’s secure your business before the next threat hits. Don’t wait until a data breach or cyberattack to improve your organization’s security posture. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.

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