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Oct 16, 2023

Network Detection and Response: Your 24-Hour Cybersecurity Officer

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There certainly are a lot of ‘DR’ acronyms in the cybersecurity world. Think XDR, CDR, MDR, and EDR. If you are a cybersecurity professional, you probably know what all those acronyms mean. Did you notice that network detection and response (NDR) was conspicuously left out? Among all the DR acronyms, NDR is easily the most profound.

The Hillstone Networks team likes to think of NDR as a 24-hour cybersecurity officer continually patrolling the entire network infrastructure looking for threats. But NDR never needs a break. It never takes a vacation. It works around the clock to protect an organization’s network against all sorts of threats.

If your organization does not yet utilize NDR, you are missing out on one of the most effective tools for identifying threats before they become major issues. Better yet, a good NDR tool has automated response capabilities built in. That is important because response is the key to effective NDR.

Constantly Scanning and Analyzing

NDR relies on two primary strategies to maintain threat detection. The first is network scanning. Think of network scanning like a video surveillance camera that constantly pans back and forth in search of potential threats. Scanning is essential because security experts never know where the next threat is coming from.

Scanning is how an NDR solution finds risky traffic that may have slipped through the cracks. Scanning is what makes it possible to detect potential threats in the earliest stages. Rather than waiting until something big happens, scanning allows for the earliest possible detection and response.

Where analysis is concerned, a reliable NDR solution is constantly analyzing everything about the network environment. It is analyzing traffic patterns. It is analyzing network activities, particularly those moving in east-west directions. Best of all, analysis that incorporates machine learning and AI can uncover threats that were previously unknown.

Responding to Threats As They Are Identified

Detection is only half the equation in NDR. Response is the other half, and arguably more important. Threats are out there and always will be. They need to be detected before they can be responded to. But ultimately, how an NDR solution responds determines just how valuable it is.

With that in mind, Hillstone Networks believes that automation is critical to proper response. Human IT teams are limited in their capabilities. They are limited in their time and resources. On the other hand, threats keep coming from every direction. A system capable of automated response addresses threats as soon as they are identified rather than waiting on the IT team to spring into action.

Another benefit of automated response is that it eliminates the need for the IT team to constantly deal with common threats for which common solutions have already been deployed. Handling routine threats through automation frees up the security team to concentrate on newer, more complex threats that do not yet have routine solutions.

Your Organization Needs a State-of-the-Art NDR

If you forget all the other DR acronyms out there, remember NDR. You get the most value when you invest in a solid NDR solution built on industry best practices and state-of-the-art technologies. A well-conceived and properly implemented NDR solution acts as a 24-hour cybersecurity officer continuously scanning, analyzing, and responding when threats are discovered.

Hillstone Networks can implement an NDR solution that is perfect for your organization. If you are not already practicing NDR, what’s holding you back? There is no better time than now to contact Hillstone Networks for help. Our NDR solutions offer the latest technologies, threat assessment strategies, and automated responses for optimal protection. That is exactly what your network needs.