Endpoint detection and response (EDR) platforms help IT teams identify threats on devices and limit cyber attacks by remediating potential threats. The best ones offer features like threat hunting, behavioral analytics, and incident containment. We analyzed some of the top EDR products in the cybersecurity industry and scored them based on features and capabilities, selecting the six highest-scoring solutions.
Here are our picks for the six best EDR solutions:
The following table briefly compares our top picks, including features like asset categorization and risk scores as well as trial details:
Automated Remediation | Threat Hunting | Custom Detection Rules | Free Trial | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Microsoft Defender XDR | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | 30 days |
Trend Micro Vision One | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | 30 days |
Cybereason | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ |
Palo Alto Cortex XDR | ❌ | ➕ | ✔️ | ❌ |
Cynet 360 AutoXDR | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ | Contact for length |
CrowdStrike Falcon Insight | ➕ | ✔️ | ❌ | 15 days |
Best Overall for a Mix of Features & Usability
Microsoft Defender XDR is a detection and response solution for endpoints, cloud apps, collaboration software, and identity management. Microsoft has built a surprisingly strong security business, and consistently high MITRE scores show that. Consider Defender XDR if you’re looking for a product with thorough documentation and high ease-of-use reviews from existing customers. Microsoft also offers training videos for Defender XDR users.
While it could be challenging to integrate a large number of third-party apps with Defender, it’s a good choice for teams with an existing Windows ecosystem. It also offers a significant number of advanced EDR features, like threat hunting and incident triage, for teams that need those.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Glowing reviews for ease of use and customer support | Some reviewers report limited customization |
Strong security performance per MITRE scores | No transparent pricing info |
Integrates well with other Microsoft products | Limited incident quarantine features |
Best for Supporting Junior Security Teams
Trend Micro’s Vision One platform is an XDR and attack surface management solution, also referred to as Trend Micro XDR. Another vendor now vying for the XDR space, Trend Micro’s range of security offerings is impressive, spanning cloud, containers, network security, and endpoints.
Trend Micro has multiple third-party security integrations for Vision One, notably Splunk, IBM QRadar, and Palo Alto Cortex XSOAR. Trend Micro can be a strong fit for businesses with multiple security products as they try to build a cohesive infrastructure. And its managed XDR services are a good choice for smaller organizations that don’t have an extensive IT team.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Offers integrations with other security vendors | Duration of vendor implementation assistance is unclear |
Has advanced features like guided investigation | Pricing and licensing information isn’t transparent |
Free trial for Vision One available for a month | Incident triage functionality isn’t a clearly defined feature |
Best for Security Visualization Features
Cybereason’s Defense Platform is a detection and response solution with a strong set of features and plenty of documentation and training resources. Cybereason scored very high in this year’s MITRE tests, with a perfect detection score and only one of 143 steps missed in all the protection evaluations.
Cybereason’s Defense Platform takes a comprehensive approach to threats, known as malicious operations (MalOps). By analyzing threat data and creating a comprehensive attack story, Cybereason aims to provide more context to malicious behavior. Consider Cybereason if your team is looking for detailed threat visualizations.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Offers strong visualization functionality | No free trial |
MITRE test results show strong protection abilities | No rogue device discovery features available |
Teams can protect public cloud environments | No transparent pricing information |
Best for Experienced IT & Security Teams
Palo Alto Networks’ Cortex XDR is a sophisticated platform for advanced security teams that want plenty of features like sandboxing and forensics tools. Palo Alto topped the 2023 MITRE test results with perfect scores; it’s one of the most established and secure endpoint protection vendors in the market.
Cortex XDR is a cloud-native platform and is installed as a software agent on endpoint devices. The Cortex XDR API allows users to integrate third-party ticketing systems of their choice. If you’re a large enterprise with a built-out IT or security team, consider Cortex XDR — if you have the budget for it, it could be one of the best security investments you ever make.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Stellar protection and detection abilities for high-security industries | Might be overwhelming for smaller teams |
Third-party integrations with ticketing systems | Provides some licensing details, but pricing isn’t transparent |
Customization and advanced features for experienced security teams | Duration of vendor implementation assistance is unclear |
Best for a Mix of Deception & Security Ops
Cynet 360 AutoXDR is a detection and response platform that offers managed detection and response (MDR) services with no extra cost. Cynet offers on-premises, hybrid, SaaS, and IaaS deployment options for AutoXDR, making it a good fit for teams with hybrid infrastructures. And if you have a mid-sized business that needs managed XDR services, consider Cynet.
Cynet has an API for integrations and also integrates with remote monitoring and management (RMM) solutions and Active Directory. Cynet 360 also offers honeypot technology and has received some positive user reviews for its security operations center (SOC), which is why we named it best for deception and security operations.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Deception features identify real malicious behavior | Unclear pricing info and license length |
Integrates with RMM products and Active Directory | No custom detection rules |
Multiple deployment options, including hybrid | There don’t seem to be many training videos available |
Best for Advanced Threat Response Capabilities
CrowdStrike Falcon Insight is a solution for teams that need plenty of advanced EDR features. CrowdStrike offers strong security, as evidenced by its nearly-perfect MITRE scores, but where the vendor really shines is in its management and response capabilities. Features include threat hunting, prioritization, and security posture assessments.
Like the other vendors on this list, CrowdStrike is expanding into XDR, offering cloud, network, and managed protection services. Consider Falcon Insight if your IT team wants advanced response features and plenty of opportunities to grow in their expertise.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Sandboxing and posture assessments for skilled teams | Lacks licensing and pricing transparency |
Strong MITRE results | Length of vendor assistance with implementation is unclear |
Receives high customer reviews for ease of use | Doesn’t offer native remediation recommendations |
Top EDR features include behavioral analytics, automated remediation, vulnerability management, device monitoring and control, and threat intelligence integrations. Use this list of EDR features to narrow down a good fit for your business based on platform capabilities.
Behavioral analytics use machine learning technology, which studies thousands to millions of user and device behaviors to identify abnormal patterns. These patterns could indicate a malicious user or a downloaded strain of malware. Behavioral detection is a key EDR feature because it uses an immense amount of data to automatically locate potential threats that would take more time to detect manually. It can be helpful in zero-day attacks too.
By setting remediation rules in advance or using prebuilt ones, security teams can configure automatic threat remediation. A particular action on an endpoint triggers a predefined remediation policy, and without any human interaction, the EDR tool sets remediation in motion. Automation is a helpful tool because it reduces manual remediation work for security admins. It’s a particularly good feature for small or overwhelmed security teams.
EDR solutions consistently monitor endpoints, alerting security teams when the software unearths vulnerabilities that could be exploited. These can include outdated operating systems, backdoors, and misconfigurations. Automated searches for vulnerabilities are more efficient, allowing IT and security teams to catch them quickly and spend time on other tasks.
EDR solutions monitor USB devices and other direct-attached storage for malicious behavior. Threat actors use USB and flash drives to infect systems with malware, and employees often plug unfamiliar storage devices into computers without knowing what’s on them. EDR tools allow admins to set strict policies for device use and determine when to give remote access permissions to USB devices.
Threat intelligence integrations are essential because they compile threats, indicators of compromise (IoC), and more so your team can look for a wide range of behaviors and threats. Many EDR tools integrate with third-party threat intel solutions so your team has more information to keep the business on top of vulnerabilities.
We evaluated a broad selection of EDR products using a product scoring rubric containing six categories. Each of the categories had subcriteria with its own weighting, which factored into the total product score. The products received an overall score out of five based on their subcriteria ratings. The six highest-scoring products made our list, and the scores helped us determine the products’ use cases.
Our most important criteria included major EDR features, advanced features like threat hunting, and MITRE scores, which measure how well the vendors can actually protect systems and data. We also looked at the products’ ease of use and administration capabilities. Last, we considered pricing availability and customer support, for which EDR vendors often don’t offer much public information.
Endpoint detection and response products help IT and security teams manage hundreds to thousands of devices that they would be unable to secure otherwise. Because threat actors have developed such sophisticated tactics, you’ll need to be able to respond as quickly as possible to advanced threats.
Vendors will have different data retention and storage systems, but 30-60 days is a common time frame for storing threat data. Some vendors may offer more or fewer; however, for example, CrowdStrike Falcon Insight stores data for up to 90 days.
EDR mainly focuses on endpoints like devices and users. Extended detection and response (XDR) is broader, covering networks, cloud applications, and other technologies. XDR is designed to protect the entire tech ecosystem, but it’s an industry question whether individual products accomplish this goal. Your enterprise should look for solutions that have strong detection and response capabilities — look at user reviews and independent testing results.
Antivirus products find and eradicate malware and viruses from computer systems, but many are limited in scope. While endpoint protection platforms serve a similar purpose to EDR, they mainly identify vulnerabilities and protect systems from threats. EDR platforms do more active response and threat hunting, giving businesses more comprehensive protection. Read more about the differences between antivirus, EPP, and EDR to best choose one of the three.
EDR is a foundational enterprise cybersecurity technology, as important as firewalls and SIEM. It’s important to choose the EDR system that best meets your organization’s needs and budget. These tools are useful for many organizations but especially critical for enterprises with many endpoint devices, including but not limited to servers, desktops, and laptops.
Don’t rely on your EDR to immediately fix everything for you. It takes time to learn, implement, and tune any endpoint platform, but the long-term benefits are worthwhile, including the experience security staff will gain from using any EDR software. As your IT and security teams learn to recognize behavioral and threat patterns, your enterprise will be more prepared overall to secure your endpoints and broader infrastructure.
Considering a broader range of security solutions? Read more about the best cybersecurity software for businesses, including cloud access security brokers and next-generation firewalls.
Paul Shread contributed to this article.
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