Did you know that 60% of SMEs close within six months of a cyberattack? Hackers don’t discriminate. Whether you’re a global enterprise or a 45-person SME, your data and systems hold value. Cybercriminals target sensitive information like your business’s data, your clients’ details, and even contact information. Once inside, they can demand ransom, exploit your relationships to launch further attacks, or sell the data to others.
For SMEs, a single breach can damage trust, disrupt operations, and have long-lasting financial implications. That’s why Managed Detection and Response (MDR) paired with a 24/7 Security Operations Center (SOC) is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. But what exactly is MDR, and how can it protect businesses like yours? Let’s break it down.
What is MDR?
Managed Detection and Response (MDR) is an advanced cybersecurity service designed to proactively detect and respond to threats. Unlike traditional security solutions, which focus on prevention by blocking viruses or malware, MDR dives deeper. It analyzes behaviors and activities to uncover suspicious actions before they escalate into full-blown attacks.
What sets MDR apart is that it comes into play after traditional cybersecurity measures have failed. While most cybersecurity solutions are preventative—stopping threats before they enter—MDR is remedial, identifying malicious activity already in your systems or devices and taking immediate action before it can cause harm. This need for quick and precise action is why MDR relies on constant vigilance.
At the heart of MDR is the 24/7 Security Operations Center (SOC) —a team of cybersecurity experts monitoring your systems every moment of the day. They combine advanced tools, threat intelligence, and human expertise to detect and respond to threats in real time.
For example, they can identify unusual behaviours like repeated failed login attempts followed by a successful one or unexpected file transfers and investigate whether they signal a genuine threat. Unlike automated systems, the SOC team eliminates false positives, ensuring only verified threats are addressed. Once confirmed, the team acts immediately—whether by isolating compromised devices, locking down accounts, or neutralizing ransomware before it spreads further.
Because cyber threats often evolve quickly and strike at unpredictable times, the 24/7 SOC is essential. Its continuous monitoring and rapid-response capabilities ensure that once something or someone breaches your systems, decisive action is taken to minimize disruption and damage. This combination of proactive detection and real-time remediation makes MDR an indispensable addition to your cybersecurity defences.
How Does MDR Work?
MDR doesn’t replace your existing security tools; it enhances them by adding an essential layer of proactive defence and remediation. By combining cutting-edge technology with human expertise, MDR ensures threats are detected, analysed, and neutralized before they can cause harm. Here’s how it works:
- Constant Monitoring: Advanced tools operate 24/7, keeping a watchful eye on your network, endpoints, and email systems. These tools continuously capture data about user activities, device performance, and network behaviour, ensuring no suspicious action goes unnoticed.
- Behavioural Analysis: MDR systems analyse patterns and behaviours rather than relying solely on known threats. Whether it’s unexpected file transfers or repeated login attempts, any deviations from the norm are flagged for further investigation.
- Expert Investigation: This is where MDR truly stands out. While AI can detect anomalies, it takes skilled SOC analysts to interpret them. For example, imagine a surge of failed login attempts followed by a sudden success. AI might identify this as suspicious, but only a human expert can determine if it’s an employee struggling with MFA or an attacker exploiting vulnerabilities. By contextualizing the data, analysts eliminate false positives and ensure accurate responses tailored to the situation.
- Rapid Response: Once a genuine threat is identified, immediate actions are taken to neutralize it—any time, day or night. This 24/7 capability ensures that threats are addressed before they can cause significant damage. Actions could include isolating a compromised device, locking down an affected account, or deploying countermeasures to stop a ransomware attack in its tracks.
- Incident Reporting and Prevention: After resolving an incident, the SOC team provides a detailed report outlining what happened, how it was handled, and steps to prevent future occurrences. This ensures your defences evolve to stay ahead of emerging threats.
By merging real-time monitoring, intelligent tools, and expert human oversight, MDR provides an unparalleled level of security. It’s not just about responding to threats—it’s about doing so with precision and minimal disruption to your business operations.
Why MDR is Now Critical for SMEs
Cybersecurity threats have outpaced traditional security tools. While firewalls, antivirus software, and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) remain important, attackers have adapted. Here’s why MDR has become indispensable:
Email Attacks: Exploiting Trust
Cybercriminals often target email systems to gain access to sensitive information or launch secondary attacks. Imagine this:
An attacker gains access to an employee’s email account and waits. They observe ongoing conversations, gathering details to craft highly convincing phishing emails. One day, they impersonate the employee, sending a fake invoice to a client with new bank details.
How MDR Helps: MDR systems monitor email behaviours in real-time. If unusual activity—like logins from unexpected locations or bulk email downloads—is detected, the SOC team investigates and locks the account before damage is done. This approach stops attacks before they can escalate.
MFA Bypasses: The New Normal
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is a strong defence, but it’s not infallible. Attackers now use advanced methods like MFA fatigue attacks or AI-driven phishing to bypass it. Consider this example:
A hacker targets an employee with an MFA fatigue attack. By flooding the victim’s authentication app with repeated login attempts, the attacker frustrates them into unintentionally approving one of the requests. With access granted, the hacker moves deeper into the system, looking for high-value data or additional accounts to compromise.
How MDR Helps: MDR is designed to spot unusual behaviours, such as a wave of failed login attempts followed by one sudden success. When this happens, the SOC team springs into action—revoking unauthorized access, notifying the client, and offering immediate steps to strengthen MFA protocols. This ensures that breaches are stopped before they disrupt your business.
Endpoint Vulnerabilities: A Growing Concern
Your employees use multiple devices to access work systems—laptops, smartphones, and even personal tablets. Each device represents a potential entry point for hackers.
Imagine an employee’s laptop is running outdated software, which is exploited by ransomware. The ransomware encrypts the device and begins spreading to shared drives.
Alternatively, a malicious program could monitor keystrokes, silently capturing login credentials. These stolen credentials might then be sold on the dark web, enabling further attacks on your business or its partners.
With MDR in place, endpoint activity is monitored continuously for signs of compromise. Unusual patterns, such as rapid file encryption or unauthorized data transfers, are flagged immediately. The compromised device can then be isolated, stopping the attack before it spreads further, while SOC analysts take additional steps to secure your systems and prevent future breaches.
How MDR Helps: MDR monitors endpoint activity for signs of compromise. For example, if files are being encrypted unusually quickly, the system detects the behaviour, isolates the affected device, and alerts the SOC. The ransomware is contained before it spreads further.
Why SMEs Should Invest in MDR
Many SMEs believe they’re too small to attract cybercriminals, but this misconception puts them at greater risk. Attackers see SMEs as easier targets because they often lack advanced defences. Here’s why MDR is ideal for SMEs:
- Cost-Effective: Access enterprise-grade security without the expense of an in-house SOC.
- Tailored Protection: Defends against specific threats relevant to SMEs, such as email compromises and endpoint vulnerabilities.
- Scalability: MDR adapts as your business grows, ensuring continued protection. Whether you’re managing an increasing number of devices or expanding your Microsoft 365 environment, MDR seamlessly scales to protect both. It safeguards not only your employees’ devices—laptops, smartphones, and tablets—but also secures your Microsoft 365 platform, which is often targeted by cybercriminals due to its widespread use in business communications and storage.
What’s Next?
This is just the first step in understanding how MDR can safeguard your business. Dive deeper into the world of cybersecurity with our upcoming blogs:
- Device-Level MDR SOC: How it secures laptops, smartphones, and other endpoints from emerging threats.
- Email and Microsoft 365 MDR SOC: Why these platforms are top targets and how MDR protects them.
Don’t let your business become a statistic. Explore these insights to better understand how MDR can provide proactive protection for your business. Stay informed, stay secure.
Is Your IT Support Missing Its Most Critical Layer?
Your IT support package might include antivirus, firewalls, and backups—but without MDR, it’s like locking your front door while leaving your windows wide open.
Modern cyber threats demand more than reactive defences. With Sereno IT’s MDR, you get 24/7 SOC protection, real-time threat hunting, and expert-driven responses tailored to stop attacks before they escalate.
Don’t settle for half-measures in your IT security. Add MDR to your support package today and turn your IT defences into an impenetrable fortress. Contact Sereno IT now to see how we can help!
