XDR: Your cybersecurity wingman

As cybercrime continues to rise, the need for automation in cybersecurity has become clear. IT security experts often lack the expertise, headcount, and time to manage the increasing number of alerts and potential threats effectively. For managed service providers (MSPs) overseeing security and monitoring networks for multiple clients, the challenge is even greater. One emerging solution is the adoption of extended detection and response (XDR) solutions, which often include bundled on-demand security operations center (SOC) services. With automation offered by XDR, MSPs can deliver advanced security solutions to their clients without the need for additional staffing or training.

However, deploying and managing an XDR solution can be complex. To ensure a successful rollout, MSPs must choose the right XDR vendor and engage with them as a dedicated partner.

Growing threats call for more automation

In 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received a record 880,418 complaints from the American public, with potential losses surpassing $12.5 billion. This marked a nearly 10% increase in the number of complaints and a 22% rise in losses compared to 2022. Moreover, data collected by the Barracuda Managed XDR platform indicates that common cyberattacks increased 300% from two million in 2023 to eight million in 2024.

Cyberattacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and social engineering and artificial intelligence are being used to evade traditional security tools. This rise in complex threats indicates that automation, such as employing a managed XDR solution, can assist MSPs and their clients in better protecting their networks and data.

For example, managed XDR enables MSPs to easily deliver cybersecurity-as-a-service without having to create and staff an always-on SOC from scratch. With XDR, all security tools and information can be managed and monitored in a single, central platform, providing comprehensive visibility across a client’s technology environment by integrating various tools and applications, including cloud, endpoint, network, email, and server security solutions.

XDR solutions collect and automatically correlate data across multiple nodes, which enhances the speed and ease of threat detection through automated, AI-driven methods for detection, response, and analysis. Their automated threat response capabilities facilitate real-time detection and response to attacks with minimal human intervention. Additionally, the advanced AI engine continuously learns to recognize emerging attack patterns and address specific scenarios. This approach significantly reduces the manual workload for IT and security teams while accelerating response times.

You’ve got a (cybersecurity) friend

Managing a wide range of sophisticated threats across a complex technology landscape can be daunting for MSPs and their clients, especially given the shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals.

A managed XDR solution from a reliable vendor can help address this challenge. By leveraging automation, AI, and integrations with various security tools, these solutions enhance threat detection and response, bridging the gap between increasing attacks and the limited number of experts available to handle them.

When selecting a managed XDR provider, look for one that offers strong data source integrations and alert capabilities. It should also provide a mix of automated response and guided remediation support while collaborating with your team to create an effective incident response playbook for your client base. The vendor partner should help optimize your team’s effectiveness when providing reliable security services to clients.

Leveraging these tools and the availability of an existing 24/7 SOC allows MSPs to provide robust security functionality without straining resources. The AI-driven automation in a managed XDR offering eliminates the need to investigate and correlate information across multiple tools manually. It helps MSPs better support customers as cybersecurity threats continue to expand.

This article was originally published at Barracuda Blog.

Photo: apops / Shutterstock