Why is EDR better than Antivirus?

In the past, protecting your business’s security was a simple matter of installing anti-virus (AV) software, educating employees to avoid clicking on suspicious links, and regularly updating software and websites. With the increase in advanced threat vectors and work-from-home technologies, your business is now facing greater risks to your data and workflow, which require a more sophisticated level of protection.

For most small to midsize companies, traditional AV solutions are no longer sufficient because they rely on regular updates of virus signatures to be effective – which means, if you don’t keep your antivirus up-to-date whenever a new patch is available, you are not fully protected.

Even if you update regularly, the quality of protection offered by AV software depends on the vendor’s updates, and threats emerge on a daily basis. Even with the best efforts to push out updates, threats can still go undetected until after they have caused damage. This creates a need for businesses need to adopt a different type of protection to mitigate the risks.

Vulnerabilities using Antivirus

The security landscape is rapidly changing, and your small business is facing more advanced threats than ever before. Traditional antivirus (AV) solutions are no longer effective against these new threats, and you need to take additional measures to protect yourself, your employees and your data.

Examples of these new threats include:

• Weaponized documents that may seem harmless, but can execute attacks once they enter your network
• Fileless threats that don’t require downloads are difficult to identify because they execute from memory
• Zero-day threats exploit unknown computer vulnerabilities before software or hardware providers can issue updates.
• As one of the worst options, ransomware attacks can disable IT networks and lock you out of your data completely

Zero-day threat is a cyber attack targeting a previously unknown vulnerability that has not yet been identified or patched by the vendor.

Antivirus vs EDR

Antivirus

Anti-virus (AV) protection has been the standard for virus protection for years, helping automatically quarantine malware and update software and virus definitions. Even still, AV only protects against a limited number of threats and requires regular updates to be effective. 

Cybercriminals often use evasion techniques to bypass AV, making it vulnerable. Unfortunately, most threats that slip past AV are detected only after they have already caused damage. While it can help protect against some types of malicious software, it is not foolproof and needs to be complemented by additional security measures.

In summary:

• Detects and removes viruses, trojans, and other types of malware
• Protects against a limited number of threats
• Requires regular updates to be effective
• Can’t protect against zero-day threats
• Certain types of malicious software can slip past AV
• Usually processes threats in the Cloud
• Usually requires input from the end-user

EDR

EDR is a multifaceted solution that not only offers traditional AV benefits + advanced security features for comprehensive protection.

With EDR, your Managed Service Provider can manage device security without requiring any input from your end-users, delivering greater security, smooth work without interruptions, and peace of mind. EDR uses a combination of monitoring software, endpoint agents, integrated machine learning, and advanced AI to stop threats before they even happen.

Unlike AV, EDR can detect fileless attacks and suspicious activity, even spotting emerging threats that have not yet been discovered. EDR helps save time and resources by processing locally, enabling to rapidly detect and automate recovery from threats.

Moreover, it provides active root cause analysis and a visual storyline, enabling your technical team to quickly understand the attack’s process and construction, and improve your security posture.

In summary:

• Detects and removes viruses, trojans, and other types of malware
• Uses AI, monitoring software, machine learning and endpoint agents to detect threats
• Doesn’t require regular updates to protect your device
• Protects endpoints against zero-day threats
• Blocks all types of malicious software
• Processes threats locally
• Does not require input from the user

How does EDR protect your business?

Using Endpoint Detection and Response benefits your business by:

• Protecting against damage caused by the latest threats with fast and efficient AI-based threat detection, containment, and automated remediation. Managed EDR can both help save time and protect your bottom line.

• Providing peace of mind and protecting your business from ransomware attacks by using Managed EDR. This allows you to easily roll back infected devices to their pre-threat state. No need to pay expensive (and usually unsuccessful) ransoms or hire consultants to rebuild network access. Managed EDR — like Managed IT Services — pays for itself by keeping you safe and secure.

• Eliminating threats that traditional AV solutions can’t catch, which may slow down device performance and decrease employee productivity. Managed EDR helps maintain device speed and reduce distractions that eat into employee productivity.

• Providing access to an EDR dashboard which provides insight into your protection status, as well as built-in reporting that helps nonprofit organizations and small businesses with meeting their compliance requirements.

• Letting the IT experts handle managing and supporting your systems and security. With ongoing support from your managed service provider, you can focus on running and growing your business.

Get Managed EDR with Protek-IT

Protek-IT offers state-of-the art protection to your small- and medium-sized business with the help of SentinelOne.

We manage your devices without any interruptions caused to you or your employees, make sure you are safe and fully protected, and quickly help you out if you have any questions or concerns. We provide top-notch SentinelOne Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) protection to all our Managed Services clients, along with other amazing benefits that help you run your business more efficiently.

See our pricing packages, or fill in the form to reach out to us and learn more.