Breaches are simply inevitable in today’s ever-expanding threat landscape. While the tactics and techniques used by attackers haven’t changed a great deal, attackers are putting much more research, planning and time into their attacks, increasing their sophistication. 

At the same time, organizations have significantly increased the attack surface and complexity of their IT environments, creating new opportunities for threat actors to gain access. Remote employees are more susceptible to targeted social engineering and phishing attacks, which can leave their personal and professional data vulnerable. 

Organizations must be prepared to detect unauthorized access or malicious activity as soon as possible so they can minimize risk and limit downtime. A good MDR vendor will take on the responsibilities of threat hunting, detection, response and recovery, freeing an organization’s internal IT staff to focus on other needs. 

MDR products provide three key capabilities to cybersecurity programs:

• Detection: MDR vendors incorporate standard cybersecurity tools, such as static malware analysis, sandboxing, automation, third-party integrations, network traffic analysis, heuristics, deception technology and threat hunting capabilities. At the same time, they monitor the user behavior information that is crucial in a zero-trust environment. Vendors should also offer centralized management of detection efforts to reduce false positives and alert fatigue. These tools and services are designed to reduce the mean time to detect (MTTD). Minutes here can be the difference between a minor incident and a data breach. 
• Response: MDR providers must be able to quickly and effectively contain attacks by isolating devices, reducing network capabilities and quarantining affected systems. Adding root cause analysis capabilities also facilitates handing off serious cases to a formal incident response team. Our customers are continuously looking for ways to reduce their mean time to respond (MTTR) to an incident. Downtime of any length can cost millions of dollars.
• Recovery: Large MDR providers offer a range of recovery services, from guided remediation to full remediation. They may even provide automated rollback services for common ransomware events. These services may be tightly integrated with incident response teams for more robust recovery capabilities.

Using a well-known MDR vendor also provides an organization’s customers with confidence in the organization’s cybersecurity posture. Customers see a trusted cybersecurity name and rest easy, knowing they’re placing their data and systems in the hands of a vendor who prioritizes cybersecurity.

Managed detection and response services are an important component of any organization’s cybersecurity program, but they are only effective when used in conjunction with complementary services. CDW offers a variety of tools that can help organizations assess the state of their current cybersecurity programs and develop strategic roadmaps for maintaining a high level of preparedness.

• Penetration Testing: During a penetration test, CDW’s skilled red team members use the same tools, tactics and techniques used by potential adversaries to probe the security of customer infrastructure. The results of these tests provide a realistic assessment of the organization’s ability to withstand real-world attacks.
• Security Assessment: Security is a complex undertaking, and organizations deploy a dizzying array of administrative, technical and physical controls to protect their information and systems. CDW security assessments help organizations determine if they have the right controls in place and if those controls are operating efficiently and effectively.
• Identity Program Development: Identity and access management programs form the core of any cybersecurity program. They allow organizations to accurately identify individuals, securely authenticate them when they need access to resources and verify that user requests are within their authorized scope of activity. CDW helps organizations build out advanced IAM programs that meet modern cloud-focused needs.
• Zero-Trust Workshops: As organizations move away from a perimeter-based approach to security, it’s no longer prudent to place trust in devices based on their network location alone. The modern remote workforce requires a zero-trust approach to security to operate effectively. CDW specialists can help you create a roadmap for developing and implementing a zero-trust strategy.
• Incident Response: Every organization eventually suffers a serious cybersecurity incident, and it is reassuring to have experts on call who are ready to assist at a moment’s notice. CDW offers customers zero-cost retainer agreements that provide rapid, 24/7 access to cybersecurity incident response experts.
  
• Gap Analysis: Organizations seeking to comply with regulatory requirements or meet the specifications of a cybersecurity standard often wonder how to quickly measure up. CDW gap analysis engagements assess your organization for compliance with legal requirements and adherence to industry best practices, identifying areas that need improvement.
• Playbook Services: Automation is the key to effective incident response. Time is of the essence when seeking to contain, eradicate and recover from an attack, and the more automation organizations use, the more quickly they can close out an incident. CDW helps organizations develop manual and automated playbooks that outline standard responses to common cybersecurity incidents.

Story by Dominick Daidone and Michael Cappiello