Detection is not the same as response

Traditional security tools are good at noticing that something has happened. They raise an alert. The problem is that an alert only has value if somebody competent sees it and acts on it, and in most small and mid-sized businesses there is nobody whose job that is — certainly not at two o'clock on a Sunday morning, which is exactly when attackers prefer to work.

Managed Detection and Response closes that gap. It combines the detection technology with a staffed security operations centre that watches the alerts around the clock and takes action on them: isolating a compromised machine, disabling an account, stopping an attack while it is still in progress rather than describing it afterwards.

What MDR actually covers

The important distinction from antivirus is breadth. Endpoint protection watches the device. MDR watches the device alongside everything else an attacker has to touch to be successful:

  • Endpoints — Windows, macOS and Linux machines, including servers
  • Identity — sign-ins to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, which is where many real incidents now begin
  • Cloud infrastructure — Azure, AWS and Google Cloud configuration and activity
  • Network — traffic patterns that indicate an intruder moving between systems
  • Productivity platforms — mailbox rules, forwarding and sharing changes that signal a compromised account

Watching identity alongside endpoints is what matters most in practice. A modern attack frequently involves no malware at all: the attacker simply signs in with a stolen password. An endpoint tool has nothing to detect, because nothing malicious ever ran on a machine.

Why it comes up in insurance and partner questionnaires

Some cyber insurance renewal questionnaires now ask whether you have 24/7 monitored detection and response, not merely whether you have antivirus. What is asked, and what weight it carries, varies by insurer and policy — MDR adds specialist monitoring and response within an agreed scope, but insurance and compliance requirements need their own review with your broker. What matters either way is being able to answer the question accurately.

This is a common reason businesses first talk to us — a questionnaire arrived with questions they could not honestly answer yes to.

How we deliver it

We deliver MDR built on Bitdefender's platform, backed by their global security operations centre. We have worked with Bitdefender since 2014 and hold Gold Partner status. In the 2024 MITRE Engenuity ATT&CK Evaluations for Managed Services, Bitdefender led participants on actionability with among the least alert noise, which matters more than it sounds: high alert volumes are how genuine threats end up buried.

Bitdefender's professional services handle the deployment and tuning, and its 24/7 helpdesk supports the service; we handle the commercial relationship and make sure the service fits your business. You get a service that works rather than another console nobody has time to watch.