MDR vs EDR vs XDR: differences and when you need them
EDR and XDR are technologies: EDR detects and responds on the endpoint, XDR extends correlation to identity, cloud and network. MDR is not a technology but a managed service: it operates EDR or XDR 24·7 with analysts who investigate and contain. In short: EDR/XDR are tools, MDR is tools plus people.
The most common misunderstanding
“EDR”, “XDR” and “MDR” are used as synonyms in marketing, but they answer different questions. Two are technologies (EDR, XDR), one is a service (MDR). Confusing them leads you to buy a tool thinking you bought an operational capability.
EDR: the endpoint baseline
Endpoint Detection and Response detects malicious behaviour on the endpoint and enables response actions (host isolation, process kill). It is powerful, but it is a tool: someone has to watch it and act.
XDR: correlation across domains
Extended Detection and Response extends visibility beyond the endpoint to identity, cloud, network and email, correlating signals in a single console. It cuts the noise, but it is still a technology to operate.
MDR: the service that adds the people
Managed Detection and Response is the managed service that operates EDR or XDR with analysts 24·7 who investigate and contain. It is the difference between owning the tools and having someone use them when it counts. Read more in What is MDR.
EDR · XDR · MDR compared
| EDR | XDR | MDR | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nature | Technology | Technology | Managed service |
| Coverage | Endpoint | Endpoint, identity, cloud, network | All of XDR + intelligence + analysts |
| Response | Manual (your team) | Manual (your team) | Managed 24·7 |
| Who operates it | You | You | Provider analysts |
| Output | Alerts | Correlated alerts | Closed incidents |
In Operation Storming Tide the technology raised signals, but what closed the incident (containment, exfiltration and ransomware prevented) were the analysts: exactly what separates MDR from EDR/XDR alone.
Read the analysis →Frequently asked.
Does XDR replace MDR?
No: they are different things. XDR is the platform that correlates signals across domains; MDR is the service that operates it with analysts 24·7. You can have an XDR with no one watching it: that is where MDR comes in.
If I already have an EDR, do I need MDR?
Often yes. An EDR raises alerts that someone must verify and act on, at any hour. Without a 24·7 team, EDR alerts go unanswered at night and on weekends, when most attacks happen.
What does vendor-agnostic MDR mean?
It means the MDR service integrates on the technology you already have (Defender, CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Splunk and others) without forcing you to replace it. Fortgale operates MDR on more than 10 leading platforms.
From theory to a real operation.
What you read here, Fortgale runs every day with a European SOC 24·7·365: 287 tools and actors profiled, <30 min median containment. Explore the service: Fortgale MDR service.
Related resources: What is MDR · What is a SOC
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