Choosing the Right XDR Tool: Key Features You Should Consider

What is Extended Detection and Response (XDR)?

XDR operates by combining monitoring and response capabilities for endpoints, networks, cloud, and applications into a shared ecosystem, rather than addressing this data in isolated departments.

Instead of responding to alerts from separate systems, XDR aggregates the data from each source, extracts patterns, and notifies your team of anomalous activity.

Complex attacks emerging in systems can be identified sooner, and false alerts can be significantly reduced. Your team can respond proactively to isolate the systems that are affected by attacks and remediate before they lead to any extensive damage.

In short, XDR removes blind spots, provides actionable information, and allows teams to focus on the more important task of preventing breaches, as opposed to responding to and cleaning up false alerts.

Key Features to Look for in an XDR Tool

These are a few of the important aspects that contribute to the efficacy of any XDR solution in real-life situations that you should look for:

1. Cross-Layer Visibility

A strong XDR tool gives you a single view of the activity across endpoints, cloud environments, networks, and applications. You can follow the movement of a threat from one system to another to view the entire attack chain. This differentiates XDR from previous tools like traditional EDR or SIEM.

2. Event Correlation and Smart Detection

Rather than sending thousands of alerts in isolation, XDR is able to analyse events and put them into context with one another. It uses analytics and pattern matching to connect clues to identify more complex attacks.

Not only does this remove alert fatigue, but it also allows the analyst to identify the real threat that needs immediate attention.

Learn how XDR defends your systems from start to finish in this detailed guide.

3. Automated Response Actions

When XDR detects something suspicious, it automatically isolates infected endpoints, blocks IPs, and disables compromised accounts, etc. These rapid response actions help contain the attack and save valuable time for the security team to focus their efforts.

4. Centralised Dashboard and Reporting

A suitable XDR tool should make your daily work easier, not harder. Your dashboard should give you a full picture of your environment, including an overview of incidents, live alerts, and compliance data.

5. Integration of Threat Intelligence

Threats in cyberspace are constantly emerging, so having an up-to-date threat intelligence capability within your XDR ensures you’re always ahead of the threats.

XDR identifies new attack patterns and shuts them down before they can cause damage. By leveraging global intelligence feeds, your system will be able to learn about events happening in real time and recognise new threat tactics trying to enter your network.

6. Support Services for Compliance and Auditing

For regulated industries, the documentation and reporting can be just as tough as the security requirements themselves. XDR helps in providing logs, reports, and assisting with compliance requirements (for example, SEBI’s CSCRF, ISO, or GDPR) without the need for manual effort.

This simple, accurate data collection will accelerate the audit process.