XDR for Small and Medium Businesses: Is It Worth It?

The IT teams of small and medium businesses (SMBs) are tasked with protecting the computing environment and data resources from increasingly sophisticated threat actors. Cyberattacks on SMBs can be extremely damaging, with a significant percentage of affected companies being forced to close their doors after an incursion. The addition of an extended detection and response (XDR) solution can be instrumental in strengthening an SMB’s cyber defenses.

Cybersecurity is of paramount importance to virtually all organizations and SMBs have to address several specific challenges. The failure to successfully protect mission-critical systems and sensitive information can spell disaster for an SMB. We’re going to discuss these challenges and demonstrate how an XDR solution can help mitigate them, resulting in a more robust and comprehensive cybersecurity posture.

Why SMBs Need XDR

SMBs need to be concerned with cybersecurity for multiple reasons that may not be apparent to an organization’s decision-makers. Some of these factors do not affect larger companies with extensive cybersecurity resources and experience in defending their IT environment.

• Many SMBs may not adequately appreciate the risks that threat actors pose to their computing environment and potentially valuable data resources. Decision-makers may be lulled into a false sense of security, believing that cybercriminals would not target them due to the size of the organization. Statistics indicate that SMBs are a prime target for cybercriminals and protecting the computing infrastructure is an essential component of successfully running the business.
• The lack of experienced cybersecurity personnel is a problem faced by many SMBs. There are often insufficient resources to support a dedicated cybersecurity team. The responsibility for protecting the environment may fall on overburdened IT professionals who also need to maintain operations and address customer concerns.
• Budgetary constraints may make it impossible for an SMB to address the personnel issue. The same constraints can make it difficult to implement the cybersecurity tools and solutions necessary to protect the environment. Companies are often forced to neglect security in favor of expending resources on other issues facing the organization. This can put them in a vulnerable position when pitted against the sophisticated threat landscape.

XDR addresses the issues impacting SMBs’ ability to effectively protect themselves from threat actors. Next, we’ll look at the specific features and functionality that make XDR an excellent solution for enhancing SMB cybersecurity.

Benefits of XDR for Small Businesses

An XDR solution such as Samurai XDR addresses the cybersecurity challenges of SMBs in a variety of ways. Adding XDR to an organization’s cybersecurity stack improves its ability to protect itself from threat actors. The following are the primary benefits for SMBs implementing the Samurai XDR platform.

• The platform provides enhanced threat detection and response capabilities by leveraging the superior threat intelligence of NTT's Tier 1 ISP, which analyzes more than 40% of the internet. The tool offers superior threat detection unmatched by other XDR solutions.
• Advanced detection capabilities identify threats that may go unnoticed by legacy security tools. XDR detects subtle lateral movements through a computing environment that often signals the presence of threat actors.
• Samurai XDR consolidates and prioritizes threat information to assist small IT teams in identifying the most serious risks. This feature aids productivity by minimizing the distractions of time-wasting false alarms.
• Small companies can take advantage of Samurai’s free trial to evaluate the value of XDR in their environments. There is no large upfront investment as the solution is offered on a monthly subscription basis. Customers can start small with a few integrations to minimize the volume of signals generated by the platform until the staff gains familiarity with the tool. Over time, more integrations can be added to further protect the environment from threat actors.

Challenges of Implementing XDR for SMBs

Several challenges may impact the ability of an SMB to implement an effective XDR solution.

• Organizations may be reluctant to implement XDR due to real or perceived cost constraints. Samurai XDR is a cost-effective platform that provides enhanced threat protection without breaking the IT budget. The cost of protecting a company with XDR is dwarfed by the expenses involved in recovering from a cyberattack.
• SMBs with limited technical IT resources may be hesitant to implement XDR for fear of extensive complexity. Samurai XDR seamlessly integrates with the current cybersecurity stack for improved threat detection.
• Extremely small companies may feel they do not need the capabilities of an XDR solution. This may be an incorrect assessment as threat actors have demonstrated that virtually any business can be attacked by anonymous phishing expeditions.

Evaluating an XDR Solution for Your Business

The decision to implement an XDR solution should be based on several factors.

• The size of the business and the type of data it processes and stores should be considered when evaluating the benefits of XDR tools. If a company has any valuable data, they need to consider the threat detection capabilities of XDR.
• Companies should understand the threat landscape and how it affects other businesses in their market sector. Businesses in industries often targeted by threat actors may need to improve their cybersecurity posture.
• XDR can be very effective in helping small IT teams address cyberthreats. Companies should evaluate the level of IT expertise available and how it can benefit from an XDR solution. An XDR implementation can improve the productivity of IT teams by eliminating excessive noise and identifying the most dangerous threats.

SMBs should look for tools and frameworks that help solidify the decision to implement an XDR solution. Performing a cyber risk assessment can identify vulnerabilities and risks to your data resources that can be addressed with new cybersecurity such as XDR.

SMBs should strongly consider implementing XDR to protect their IT environment. The sophisticated and constantly evolving threat landscape facing SMBs demands advanced cybersecurity tools. The addition of an XDR solution can be the difference between stopping threats before they impact your environment or engaging in a stressful recovery from a successful cyberattack.

Try Samurai’s 30-day free trial to see how this superior threat detection platform can help your SMB protect its valuable information. Start small and build additional threat detection capabilities as you become familiar with the platform and its capabilities.