MDR vs EDR
A managed service versus a technology you run yourself.
EDR (endpoint detection and response) is a technology you deploy to monitor endpoints. MDR (managed detection and response) is a service in which a provider operates detection and response on your behalf, around the clock, often using EDR among other tools. The core difference is that EDR is software to run, and MDR is an outcome delivered as a service.
The short answer
EDR (endpoint detection and response) is a technology you deploy to monitor endpoints. MDR (managed detection and response) is a service in which a provider operates detection and response on your behalf, around the clock, often using EDR among other tools. The core difference is that EDR is software to run, and MDR is an outcome delivered as a service.
MDR is an outsourced service that gives an organisation 24/7 threat monitoring, investigation and response without building an in-house security operations centre. A provider combines detection technology with analysts who watch the environment continuously and act on real threats.
- Delivered as a managed service, not software to run
- 24/7 human-led investigation and response
- Includes the analysts, tooling and detection engineering
- Priced as an ongoing service rather than a licence
EDR is a technology that runs on endpoints, recording their activity and enabling detection, investigation and response on the device. It produces the telemetry and alerts, but a human team still has to operate it.
- A technology you deploy and license
- Deep endpoint telemetry and response actions
- Requires skilled analysts to operate around the clock
- One of several tools an MDR provider may use
Key differences
Where MDR and EDR diverge, at a glance.
| MDR | EDR | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A managed service | A technology / product |
| Who operates it | The provider’s analysts, 24/7 | Your own team |
| Scope | Whole environment, end to end | The endpoints it is deployed on |
| You provide | Access and collaboration | The staff, time and expertise |
| Outcome | Threats detected and contained | Alerts and telemetry to act on |
When to choose which
MDR fits organisations that need round-the-clock detection and response but cannot build and staff a security operations centre, or that have tools generating more alerts than their team can investigate.
EDR alone fits organisations that already have the analysts and processes to operate detection and response continuously in-house, and want the endpoint technology to do it with.
These are not competing purchases so much as different layers of the same problem. EDR is a tool; MDR is the operation of tools like it. A good MDR service typically uses EDR, network and identity telemetry together, so an organisation buying MDR gets the technology and the team as one outcome, rather than buying EDR and then having to resource its operation separately.
A worked example: the alert no one investigated
Consider an EDR agent that detects a suspicious script running on a finance team member’s laptop at two in the morning. The technology has done its job: it recorded the activity and raised an alert. What happens next decides whether this becomes an incident or a breach.
Without a team watching around the clock, the alert sits in a queue until someone reviews it hours later, by which time the attacker may have moved on. With an MDR service, an analyst investigates within minutes, confirms it is a genuine threat, isolates the endpoint and begins containment before the attacker can spread. Same EDR technology, very different outcome. The difference is the operation, which is exactly what MDR provides and EDR alone does not.
Products versus services: which is which
EDR is a product you license and deploy: CrowdStrike Falcon Insight, SentinelOne, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and similar tools all fall in this category. They provide the endpoint telemetry, detection and response actions, but they assume you have a team to operate them.
MDR is a service, delivered by a provider that supplies the analysts, the detection engineering and the round-the-clock operation. Some MDR services include and manage the endpoint technology; others operate on top of tools the customer already owns. When comparing MDR providers, two questions matter most: how much authority the provider has to contain threats, and whether the endpoint technology is included or expected.
How to choose between buying EDR and buying MDR
The decision comes down to whether you have the people to operate detection continuously. If you already run a security operations centre with analysts covering every hour, buying EDR as a technology and operating it yourself can make sense. If you do not, EDR alone tends to become an expensive source of alerts that no one investigates in time.
For most mid-sized organisations, the scarce and expensive ingredient is not the technology but the skilled analysts available at 3am on a Sunday. MDR provides them as a service, which is why it is often the more practical route to effective detection and response than buying tooling and then trying to resource its operation separately.
Not sure which you need?
The right detection stack depends on your environment, your team and your risk. Precursor operates managed detection and response from a CREST-accredited security operations centre, so you get the outcome rather than another tool to run.
MDR vs EDR, answered
Common questions about how MDR and EDR differ and relate.
No. MDR usually uses EDR as one of its detection sources. Rather than replacing the technology, MDR provides the analysts and operation that turn EDR telemetry into detected and contained threats, around the clock.
Yes, if you have the staff to operate it 24/7. The common problem is that EDR generates more alerts than a small team can investigate continuously, so the technology is deployed but not effectively operated, which is what leads many organisations to MDR.
It depends on the provider. Some MDR services include and manage the endpoint technology; others operate on top of tools you already own. Clarifying what is included, and how much response authority the provider has, is a key part of comparing offerings.
Not quite. MDR often uses EDR as a core detection source, but a mature MDR service also correlates network, identity and cloud telemetry, applies threat intelligence, and provides human-led investigation and response. Managed EDR describes operating one tool; MDR describes operating detection and response across the environment.
An MDR service typically includes or operates the endpoint detection technology for you, so you are not buying EDR separately and then MDR on top. What matters is confirming with the provider whether the endpoint tooling is included in the service or expected to be supplied by you.
EDR is an endpoint detection technology. XDR is a technology that correlates detection across several layers including the endpoint. MDR is a managed service that operates detection and response, often using EDR and XDR technologies, so a provider’s analysts watch and act on your behalf around the clock.