EDR, MDR, XDR: what are the differences?

The technical evolution of cyber defence

The technical reality is that compromise is almost inevitable. The challenge has shifted from prevention towards detection and response. Ransomware attacks, for example, have become more targeted and human-operated, making behavioural detection essential.

The Microsoft Digital Defence Report 2024 highlights a 2.75x rise in ransomware attacks, a clear indicator of this shift.

EDR, or endpoint detection and response

EDR (endpoint detection and response) is a cybersecurity solution that monitors and detects suspicious or malicious activity on endpoints.

It relies on a lightweight agent deployed on each endpoint (servers, workstations, mobile devices) which collects telemetry in real time: process activity, system events, inbound and outbound network traffic, file access and registry changes.

Unlike antivirus software, which focuses on file signatures, EDR uses behavioural analysis models (IOAs, indicators of attack) to identify suspicious sequences of actions.

IoA-based detection and investigation

EDR is designed to spot anomalies that signal malicious intent, such as a word.exe process attempting to launch powershell to run a base64-encoded command.

Once a potential threat is detected, EDR allows analysts to use threat-hunting capabilities (the proactive search for indicators of compromise, or IOCs) through centralised consoles.

Technically, this includes immediate network isolation of the compromised host and access to the full history for root cause analysis.

XDR, or extended detection and response, for a unified view of an attack

XDR (extended detection and response) represents the holistic approach to cybersecurity.

It breaks down the traditional security silos that stealthy threats exploit. These threats spread by hiding between disconnected alerts from narrowly scoped solutions (such as EDR alone, or a NIDS alone).

XDR extends its scope to collect and integrate activity data and event information from multiple layers: endpoints, network, email, identities (IAM), servers and cloud environments (IaaS, SaaS).

All this information is fed into a unified data lake for global analysis. The effectiveness of XDR relies on engines using machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) to perform cross-domain correlation of events.

In practice, if an alert is triggered in your email system and suspicious activity is seen on a server, XDR links these weak signals automatically to reconstruct the full attack chain. This delivers a centralised view and maps malicious activity precisely against frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK.

By consolidating and analysing this superset of data, XDR improves detection accuracy, reduces false positives, and significantly accelerates investigation and response.

Managed detection and response: outsourcing operational expertise

MDR (managed detection and response) is not a technology in itself but an operational service model.

It takes over the running of EDR and XDR platforms for organisations that do not have the maturity or resources to operate an internal 24/7 SOC (security operations center). The service is delivered by specialised cyber analysts who manage the full incident lifecycle.

Reduced response time and human triage

The main technical benefit of MDR is to guarantee a minimal mean time to respond (MTTR). The MDR team triages the thousands of alerts generated by EDR or XDR.

It filters out false positives thanks to human expertise and the integration of threat intelligence feeds.

This service is particularly relevant for SMEs and mid-market businesses, which are heavily targeted by cyberattacks. According to the 2024 Cyber Threat Overview, 37% of known ransomware victims were reported to ANSSI in 2024. These companies often cannot sustain the cost of recruiting in-house cyber experts.

The evolution of detection

EDR is the entry level, offering detailed visibility on the main attack surface, the host.

XDR is the next level up, aimed at multi-vector attack detection by connecting the dots between systems.

MDR is not a competing technology; it is an operational management model that allows companies to benefit from EDR or XDR without internalising the workload and expertise required.

Choosing the right solution for your cyber maturity level

EDR for autonomous IT teams

EDR is ideal for organisations with an IT team capable of handling alert triage and conducting internal investigations during business hours.

It is the most cost-effective approach for businesses looking to improve their endpoint security posture beyond basic antivirus while retaining full operational control. EDR is the minimum foundation for a reactive detection strategy.

XDR for the complexity of large enterprises

In-house XDR is reserved for large enterprises (mid-market and corporates) with complex IT infrastructures (hybrid, multi-cloud).

MDR for SMEs short on resources

For the vast majority of SMEs and mid-market businesses, MDR is the most pragmatic answer. It immediately provides 24/7 protection and the expertise required to manage complex incidents. It is the way to meet responsiveness requirements without having to build a high-level SOC.

NIS 2: the regulatory imperative to factor in

Consequences of the new European directives

The choice of a detection and response solution is now anchored in European law. The NIS 2 directive imposes strict cybersecurity risk management obligations on a broadened range of organisations.

This specifically includes putting in place measures for incident management and response and for security monitoring of networks and information systems.

The technical approach required by NIS 2

Technically, NIS 2 forces organisations to adopt cybersecurity solutions to demonstrate their ability to detect rapidly and to notify major incidents within the prescribed timeframes (initial notification within 24 hours).

Failing to meet these technical and operational requirements exposes essential entities to heavy administrative penalties that can reach 2% of annual worldwide turnover.