XDR effectively stands for eXtended Detection and Response. The purpose of it is to combine a traditional detection and response method with better traffic analysis and other sources gained from Security and Event Management Systems or "SIEM."
By using the data derived from these different security sources, companies have more information to use to identify anomalous behavior and figure out if they have been compromised. These sources include traditional endpoint detection and response tools.
Some Components Of XDR:
You will find that XDR security solutions can differ based on the vendor. However, a lot of them utilize both data and analytics from various components both on the front end and back end. These include:
- Data from networks
- Endpoints
- Firewalls (software and hardware)
- Cloud Services
- Email Systems
- EDR Tools
- Cloud Access Security Brokers
However, it's important to understand that each XDR solution is unique. Because of this, if you are looking to leverage it, you'll want to figure out which one will integrate seamlessly into your current network environment.
What Is Open XDR?
Open XDR is sometimes called, "Everything XDR." This is because it utilizes a vendor-agnostic approach that effectively leverages existing security environments and incorporates it into their data analysis. It's called Open because the approach it uses is much more open than others. It takes data from every source it can. Whereas, if you go with traditional XDR, it takes a much more closed approach and it doesn't have tight integration with any 3rd party company systems.
Open XDR is also commonly referred to as hybrid XDR. This is to keep the confusion at a minimum with open-sourced technologies. It's a newer solution and the approach varies widely from organization to organization.
How Does It Work?
Open XDR uses data from all sources. Traditional solutions do not. They strictly use sources from their tech stack. Whereas, Open XDR uses sources from every available source including 3rd party sources. Thus, they tend to leverage Artificial Intelligence powered analysis to come up with better security insights.
Open XDR takes full advantage of the organizations existing security tools whether EDR or SIEM. It then aggregates the data and uses it to identify vulnerabilities. It's not specifically made to replace technologies. Rather, it's made to fit in seamlessly and sit on top of the existing security stack used by a company. It effectively puts all of the important data into one easy place.
Some Benefits Of Open XDR:
With Open XDR, you have centralized solutions. Everything can be centralized in a single location to make better security insights and decisions. When you opt for Open XDR, you can expect to save costs too. Here are some of the benefits of Open XDR.
1. Centralized Security Data
One of the main benefits that you can get from Open XDR has to do with it centralizing the data in one place. The entire purpose of Open XDR is to aggregate the important data gathered from different security sources and to have it accessible in one spot. Without it, you have to worry about collecting the data and getting insights in bite-sized pieces.
2. Streamlined Detection and Response
Another benefit that you get is the ability to have a much more streamlined detection process and response. After all, the important information gets centralized in a single spot. That information can be easily analyzed to identify intruders and threats much easier than if the data was all over the place. This can make an organization have quicker response times which can inherently reduce risk and exposure because they can act swiftly.
3. Easier To Scale
Because of the nature of Open XDR, it's much easier to scale. It allows organizations to bring new tech tools and stacks aboard. It can easily be integrated into your Open XDR solution which means you can continue to embrace new technology and scale it to the needs of your business.
4. Efficient Use Of Resources
When you have an Open XDR solution, it can save you a lot of time and money. It simplifies everything. You have a single point of aggregated data that your analysts can use to improve your business and its organizational efficiency.
5. It Can Be Optimized
Because you are getting real-time security data delivered with it, you'll be able to see when your tools start to fail. This can help to ensure that your security systems are continually optimized for the best results.
