Cybersecurity is more than important to a managed security services provider's (MSSP) business, it IS the business. To be competitive, MSSPs must be leaders in cybersecurity technology and best practices.
Extended detection and response (XDR) is a holistic approach to security that integrates cloud, on-premises and endpoint security. XDR includes endpoint detection and response (EDR) for monitoring and responding to threats against endpoints as well as malware protection, disk encryption, analytics, firewall, and identity-based access management. XDR collects activity data across multiple security layers to analyze it in real-time to detect threats, enabling security teams to respond more quickly.
XDR solutions also increasingly include AI and machine learning (ML) in order to detect complex malicious behaviors and initiate a response faster than a human operator. AI can collate massive amounts of data from multiple sources, enabling them to detect malicious actors even if their behavior in individual cases is imperceptible — a critical capability in the ever-changing landscape of emerging threats.
AI can be built into endpoints to prevent them from becoming vulnerable to new threats without recognized signatures. AI-enabled XDR can quickly detect suspicious processes or threats that seek to modify files or insert malicious code. (Find out more about AI in cybersecurity)
A report on the XDR market, by MarketsandMarkets, predicts the global market for XDR solutions and cloud services will jump from $1.7 billion in 2023 to $8.8 billion by 2028. That’s an annual growth rate of over 38%, driven by the increasing complexity of securing hybrid IT environments, as well as the volume and sophistication of today’s cyber threats.
Small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) are adopting XDR at the fastest rate, primarily because of its cost-effectiveness and relative ease of use. That rapid growth should encourage more MSSPs to provide managed XDR services for customers that need effective enterprise security but without the cost of in-house expertise or onsite servers that must be managed and maintained. Managed cloud-based XDR takes even more of the work out of XDR for smaller organizations that lack their own in-house expertise or the budget to purchase XDR licenses and additional hardware.
Open XDR Expands MSSP Options
Open XDR platforms provide a real opportunity for both cybersecurity vendors and MSSPs to enter the XDR market without building an entire solution from scratch. Open XDR platforms support integrations with other security solutions, such as third-party EDR so that an MSSP can opt to keep existing investments in security while implementing an Open XDR platform.
Open XDR is different from Native XDR solutions which contain all security components, including EDR, out of the box. Another option, Hybrid XDR, includes all components, similar to what Native XDR provides, but also supports integration with third-party tools.
With Open XDR, MSSPs and their customers can choose to integrate best-in-class security products with an XDR platform rather than surrender their preferred solutions. Cybersecurity providers such as BlackBerry and Stellar Cyber have recently partnered to integrate BlackBerry EDR and machine learning (ML) technology with the Stellar Cyber Open XDR Platform. The integration of the two products will help SOC teams by consolidating data into a single location for better visibility and automating the detection and response to cyber threats.
Stellar Cyber and BlackBerry, together, offer a unified solution optimized for mid-enterprise lean security teams and MSSPs. With this approach, MSSPs can help their customers extend visibility and detection across the entire attack surface and stop attacks early in the attack chain.
Want to know more about Managed XDR? You’ll find more information on the BlackBerry XDR site. To learn how to become a BlackBerry MSSP partner, visit the BlackBerry MSSP Partners portal.
Guest blog courtesy of BlackBerry Cybersecurity. Read more BlackBerry Cybersecurity blogs and news here. Regularly contributed guest blogs are part of MSSP Alert’s sponsorship program.
