EDR uses more sophisticated analysis to detect unusual user or process behavior or data access, and then flags or possibly blocks it. More importantly, EDR systems have extensive capabilities to detect and fight attacks and malware infections after they’ve happened, whereas antivirus systems are often ineffective if they fail to catch malware as it arrives.
EDR vs. extended detection and response (XDR)
EDR isn’t the only detection and response security software on the market. Just as EDR focuses on endpoints, there’s also network detection and response (NDR), which works similarly but focuses on network traffic. And then there’s extended detection and response (XDR), which bundles together detection and response capabilities that focus on multiple infrastructure components, including endpoints and networks, as well as email, cloud environments, and beyond.
When we say “bundle,” we mean it: XDR offerings tend to be a managed collection of individual tools focused on different infrastructural layers, and the array of services billed as XDR can be a bit bewildering. In fact, many XDR offerings began life as EDR tools that accrued new layers and features. Intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDSes/IPSes), which like antivirus are signature-based, are among the traditional security tools being swallowed up into NDR and XDR solutions.
