Managed Detection and Response (MDR) for Small Business
Antivirus tells you a file looked bad. EDR shows you what a process did on the machine. Neither one calls anybody at 2am. Managed detection and response is the layer where a person reads the Defender for Endpoint alert, decides within minutes whether the odd PowerShell command on the bookkeeper's laptop is an attack, and cuts the machine off before it spreads.
The short answer
Managed detection and response (MDR) pairs endpoint detection and response software with a team that monitors it around the clock, investigates every alert and contains confirmed threats on your behalf. Antivirus blocks known malware. EDR records what each process does and flags suspicious behavior, but somebody still has to read the flag. MDR closes that gap: NetSys engineers watch Microsoft Defender for Endpoint across every client device, triage alerts, isolate compromised machines, kill malicious processes and tell you what happened in plain language. Included in the NetSys managed agreement or delivered standalone, remotely anywhere in the United States.
The typical small business already owns some endpoint protection. What it does not own is a person whose job is to look at the console. Defender for Endpoint raises an alert when a Word document spawns a command shell or when a sign-in token is replayed from an unfamiliar country. If nobody sees that alert until Monday, the software did its job and the business still lost the weekend. Managed detection and response puts a trained responder between the alert and the damage.
We deploy Defender for Business or Defender for Endpoint through Intune and connect every device to our monitoring queue. Businesses usually arrive from one of two places: an antivirus subscription nobody ever opened, or an EDR product so noisy the internal IT person muted it. The fix is the same. Tune the product, then put a human on shift.
Between the Alert and the All-Clear
Onboarding starts with a device inventory and a behavioral baseline: which processes are normal for your line-of-business software and which countries your people sign in from. That baseline lets us treat a high-severity alert as real instead of noise. When an alert fires, the responder reviews the device timeline and decides whether to isolate. If so, the machine is cut off from the network while our management channel stays open for cleanup, and the root cause goes into a written incident note. Your account manager calls you. No automated email.
What Is Included in NetSys MDR
EDR Deployed Properly
The sensor only helps if it is on every device.
- Defender for Business or Defender for Endpoint rolled out through Intune to Windows, macOS, iOS and Android
- Attack surface reduction rules, tamper protection and cloud-delivered protection enabled and verified
- Automated remediation tuned to act on obvious threats and hand ambiguous ones to a person
- Coverage gaps reported monthly: unenrolled machines, stale sensors, missing policies
Human Monitoring, Every Hour
Alerts go to a responder, not to a mailbox.
- Every Defender alert triaged by a NetSys engineer, weekends and holidays included
- Device timeline, sign-in logs and mail flow reviewed together, since a compromised laptop usually means a compromised account
- Escalation path documented per client: who we call, in what order, what we may do without waiting
- Alert tuning revisited monthly so the queue stays meaningful
Containment and Cleanup
Stopping the spread comes first. The report comes after.
- Network isolation of the affected device with the management channel left open
- Malicious processes killed, persistence removed, files quarantined
- Password reset, MFA re-registration and session revocation for any account the incident touched
- Root cause written up: how it got in, what it reached, what changed to prevent a repeat
Reporting and Evidence
For leadership, the insurer and the auditor.
- Monthly summary of alerts, containments and coverage in language an owner can read
- Incident notes retained as evidence for cyber-insurance applications and compliance reviews
- Findings fed into security awareness training when the entry point was a person
- Included in the all-inclusive NetSys agreement, or delivered standalone alongside in-house IT
Why Businesses Choose NetSys for Managed Detection and Response
Let The Netsys Group assess and help you resolve your exposure. Call 845-203-3914 for your complimentary risk assessment consultation today!
- A responder reads the alert at 2am and isolates the device before the first employee logs in
- Built on Defender for Endpoint, which most Microsoft 365 Business Premium tenants already license
- The same team manages your identities, email and devices, so containment covers the whole environment
- Tuned to your business, so admin tools and line-of-business apps stop producing false alarms
- Your account manager calls with a plain-language explanation, not an automated ticket
- Month to month, with no long-term contract to sign first
Where we deliver Managed Detection & Response (MDR)
Managed Detection & Response (MDR) in New York City · Managed Detection & Response (MDR) in Westchester County · Managed Detection & Response (MDR) in Nassau County, NY · Managed Detection & Response (MDR) in New Jersey · Managed Detection & Response (MDR) in Stamford, CT — and remotely wherever your systems run. See all locations and service areas.
Managed Detection & Response (MDR) FAQs
What is managed detection and response?
Managed detection and response is a service that pairs endpoint detection and response software with a team that watches it 24/7, investigates each alert and contains confirmed threats. The people decide whether the flag is real, isolate the machine if it is, clean up and explain what happened. NetSys delivers MDR on Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.
What is the difference between MDR, EDR and antivirus?
Antivirus blocks files it recognizes as malicious. EDR records process, network and registry activity on each device and flags behavior that looks like an attack, even when the file is new. MDR adds the people: a monitored queue, investigation and containment. Many small businesses buy EDR and never open the console, which leaves them with expensive antivirus.
Who watches the alerts at night and on weekends?
NetSys engineers do, on a rotation that covers every hour of the year. The Defender alert reaches a person who can see the device timeline and the user's sign-in history, decide whether to isolate the machine, and act without waiting for morning. Each client has a documented escalation list and a pre-authorized set of actions, so containment does not stall on a 3am phone call.
Do we need MDR if we already have Defender for Endpoint?
You need someone to operate it. Defender for Endpoint is the sensor and the response toolkit, but it does not investigate its own alerts or decide when to isolate a machine. If your internal IT person reads the console during business hours, you are covered for roughly a quarter of the week. MDR covers the rest and brings the tuning that makes the console worth reading.
How much does managed detection and response cost?
For NetSys managed clients it is included in the all-inclusive month-to-month agreement. Businesses with in-house IT that want MDR alone receive a standalone monthly quote after a short scoping call covering device count and current licensing. Defender for Business comes with Microsoft 365 Business Premium, which often means no extra software purchase.
How do we get started with MDR?
Book the free external penetration test or a free cybersecurity assessment. Either one shows what an attacker sees from outside and how your current endpoint protection is configured. From there we propose the MDR rollout, typically finished within a few weeks depending on device count, under a month-to-month agreement with no long-term contract. Call 845-203-3914 or use the contact page.
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