Huntress Managed EDR is the Smarter Way to Protect Your Business

There is no nice way to say this… your system is constantly under threat from cybercriminals. Huntress is the best, most reliable defence, you can have.

What is an EDR?

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) does need a little bit of explanation but it will help if we set the scene for why it is so important first to give it context.

Cybercriminals are clever. They are persistent, vigilant, malicious, and nothing like the fast typing code writers sitting in darkened rooms that you see in TV. They are not anti-heroes or clever hackers bucking the system, they are criminals. Thieves and blackmailers, who will often work quietly in the background for weeks or even months before making their move.

So, now we have perspective on who they are let me add that they are constantly attacking systems from the NHS through to SMEs (including your business) in search of a way in. They are very likely to be looking at your business.

Endpoint Detection Response is the answer to these criminals because it actively looks for their behaviours and then prevents them from getting access to your systems by stopping the threat before it reaches you.

So EDR is an anti-virus system then?

No, not in the traditional sense. The difference is all to do with the way the protection works and what are known as ‘endpoints’ in the security world. Let’s start there.

An ‘endpoint’ is somewhere on your IT infrastructure where there is final connection to a network. So, a laptop, a computer, a tablet, a server and so on. If it talks to your network and it can send or receive data, then it’s an endpoint.

A traditional anti-virus works by making the system secure. It’s rather like having a locked front door on your house. It is useful for keeping things out. It only works though as long as the people you don’t want inside, are on the outside. It can’t do anything if they come in through a back window or have a front door key. Like your front door, once the people you want to keep out get past a traditional virus checker, it’s not going to do any good.

Now add a security guard who constantly walks around checking the rooms (endpoints) to the scenario above. Now, even if your intruder has keys, they will still be detected and stopped. That is how EDR works. It watches for anything unusual and acts.

How Huntress works

Normal anti-virus software focuses on spotting and stopping threats it already knows about. Usually, they work by matching some malicious code to a database of what are known as “signatures”. These are sort of digital fingerprints that identify malicious or suspicious intrusions onto your system. I am perhaps oversimplifying a little here, but in principle that is how they work.

I am sure you have already jumped ahead and see where there is a potential vulnerability. The problem is, those criminals who make their money through cybercrime are very well organised and patient. They constantly change their tactics. The reason it is so important that you update your anti-virus regularly is simple, it needs to be able to recognise a new threat. Unfortunately, that is where the flaw is built into a traditional anti-virus protection system. If the threat is new, the system may not recognise it until it is discovered, checked by the software providers, added to the signatures lists, distributed and finally updated at a local level through your IT system and endpoints.

In the meantime, you are vulnerable.

Huntress Managed EDR works differently:

• 24/7 threat hunting – Huntress doesn’t just wait for an alarm to go off. It actively searches for signs that hackers are already inside your system. Even if they’re hiding, Huntress will be searching for the tell tale signs that they are there.
• Human-backed monitoring – Huntress doesn’t wait for the next step to happen. Behind the scenes, a team of cybersecurity experts reviews suspicious activity and makes sure the right action is taken quickly. That human touch brings the intuition and expertise that really adds value in real time.
• Stops attacks early – Huntress can spot threats in the “early stages”. What that means is there is a much higher chance that any intrusion by cybercriminals will be stopped before they steal data, encrypt files, or disrupt your business.
• Clear, actionable reports – That means you won’t need to wade through confusing tech speak or jargon. You will just get clear updates on what happened and what’s been done to protect you.

The DataSense and the Huntress advantage

Most businesses today face bigger threats than just viruses. I am sure you have read about (and sadly ever more commonly these days, maybe even experienced) ransomware, phishing attacks, and what are known as “living off the land” techniques. If you are not aware of that last one, living off the land is where cybercriminals use legitimate tools to invade your systems.
Huntress is designed to spot these sneaky threats, to look for the kind that of dangers that can quietly slip past traditional anti-virus.

When you use Huntress Managed EDR through DataSense IT, you’re not just getting advanced security software, you are getting our years of experience, as well as a fully managed service.

That means:

• We install and configure Huntress for you
• We monitor alerts and respond to threats on your behalf
• We keep you informed without drowning you in unnecessary details
• You can focus on running your business, knowing your security is in safe hands

The bottom line is that, while it may well not be nice to think about, we all still need to recognise the truth. Cyber-attacks can cost thousands of pounds in downtime, lost data, lost productivity and, perhaps worse, they reduce customer confidence and damage your reputation.

By moving to Huntress Managed EDR, you’re taking a proactive approach. You are identifying and then stopping threats before they become disasters. In short, Huntress and Datasense together are working smarter to protect your business. Even better is that are doing that without adding more work to your day, so you and your team can focus on what you do best… running your business.