How XDR can extend your endpoint protection and why it’s time to evolve from traditional EDR

Endpoint detection and response (EDR) technology has been a cornerstone of cybersecurity since 2013, when Gartner analyst Anton Chuvakin coined the term. While the EDR acronym gained traction over a decade ago, endpoint protection technologies — such as antivirus and firewalls — have been in use since the 1980s. Over time, these tools have evolved (and even been renamed) to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

EDR has fulfilled its mission, but the threat landscape demands broader capabilities

While it may not solve every security challenge today, EDR has played a pivotal role in reshaping both defense strategies and adversary tactics. A recent CrowdStrike report suggests EDR’s effectiveness has even pushed cybercriminals to explore alternative intrusion methods — including the rise of social engineering attacks that target human vulnerabilities rather than hardened endpoints.

As a testament to the need for broader capabilities, cybersecurity solution providers often integrate EDR with complementary endpoint-focused tools such as enterprise browsers, data loss prevention (DLP) solutions, and vulnerability management platforms. This convergence has given rise to extended detection and response (XDR) — a broader framework that, as its name implies, extends threat detection and response across multiple domains.

From endpoint to ecosystem: the rise of XDR

XDR has emerged as a formidable cybersecurity powerhouse — a veritable Superman of the digital defense world. It checks off multiple items on the security punch list, including ingesting massive volumes of threat data from diverse sources using AI, triggering automated responses like quarantining compromised devices or user accounts, integrating security tools from different vendors, and delivering unified visibility and actionable insights across the entire environment. Though not “faster than a speeding bullet”, XDR has a superhero quality — delivering fast, intelligent, and coordinated defense against today’s most sophisticated cyber threats.

One of the core challenges XDR addresses is the fragmentation of security technology stacks. Disjointed platforms create operational blind spots that adversaries can exploit. When systems are siloed, security operations center (SOC) teams struggle to detect, investigate, and respond to threats in a coordinated way — leaving organizations vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated attacks.

This challenge is compounded by the rising volume and velocity of threats. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint has reported a 79% rise in indicators of attack (IOAs) since January 2020. This sharp rise underscores the expanding attack surface driven by hybrid work models, decentralized IT environments, and widespread cloud adoption — making integrated, intelligent solutions like XDR more critical than ever.

XDR isn’t just a tool; it can provide an entire approach to cybersecurity

Organizations of all sizes now face a common cybersecurity challenge: securing a rapidly expanding ecosystem of endpoints. In just one month, Microsoft Defender XDR detected over 176,000 tampering incidents across more than 5,600 organizations — signaling the rising threat volume and the critical need for advanced endpoint protection.

Take a look at an industry conversation from SHI’s Innovation Heroes podcast with Cisco Security’s Director of XDR Product Management, Briana Farro. Here, Briana discusses how EDR’s focus on perimeter security is becoming inadequate to handle the evolving threats, complexities, and interconnectedness of today’s IT environments. She goes on to say, “[XDR is] the whole package in order to really understand what’s happening in an environment.”

Without XDR, security gaps quickly become attack vectors

Life without XDR can spell trouble — especially when attackers exploit holes in your digital ecosystem. And when disjointed security leaves the door open to threats, the business consequences are real. According to a recent report from Palo Alto Networks, 86% of the incidents they responded to in the last year resulted in business disruption. These losses span downtime, asset and fraud-related losses, brand and market damage, increased operating costs, and legal and regulatory costs — all things you want to avoid.

While there’s rarely a silver lining in the wake of a data breach, XDR may offer one. Organizations that incorporate more AI and automation into their security strategies — a defining feature of XDR — experience significantly lower breach costs. IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025 found that the average cost of a breach for organizations without security AI and automation was $5.52M, compared to $3.62M for those that use these technologies extensively. These findings reinforce a critical point: reactive security is no longer enough. XDR doesn’t just detect threats — it helps contain them and reduce the blast radius before they become costly business disruptions.

If XDR is already on your radar, consider these next steps

When charting a course towards XDR, we recommend starting here.

1. Understand your organization’s risk landscape

Start by mapping out your organization’s unique security profile. This includes pinpointing high-risk areas based on factors like network complexity, types of data handled, device diversity, and how and where users access systems. Regulatory obligations and compliance standards must also be considered and met.

How SHI can help:

SHI understands it can be difficult to take a step back from day-to-day defense to get a bird’s eye view of your security ecosystem. We offer a free Security Posture Review to help cybersecurity leaders understand their organization’s security maturity level, including tailored recommendations to strengthen overall security and reduce security gaps.

2. Define a clear direction

Develop a strategic plan for implementing XDR that aligns with your broader cybersecurity goals. Your roadmap should reflect your current capabilities, available resources, and the maturity of your existing security infrastructure.

How SHI can help:

Transitioning from EDR to XDR means expanding your security posture beyond endpoint protection. Managed detection and response (MDR) can play a critical role in supporting organizations by putting human expertise behind your existing EDR tools to ensure threats are identified and addressed in real time. SHI’s MDR services, offered through our Threat and Vulnerability Management Program, could support you in a transition towards building a more resilient and responsive security foundation.

3. Choose the right XDR solution

Selecting the right XDR platform is critical to maximizing your security investment. Look for solutions that offer strong AI-driven threat detection, automated response capabilities, and intuitive dashboards for real-time visibility. Prioritize solutions that integrate smoothly with your current environment, scale with your data needs, and come with expert support to guide deployment and optimization.

How SHI and Stratascale, SHI’s cybersecurity services division, can help:

SHI and Stratascale understand the complexity of choosing the right cybersecurity partner in a crowded market. For organizations already invested in Microsoft technologies, Microsoft XDR can be a particularly effective option — especially as increasing the volume of signals collected enhances the platform’s native response capabilities. Stratascale’s Microsoft Accelerator for XDR is designed to fast-track deployment and configuration, helping your organization unlock the full potential of XDR quickly and efficiently.

NEXT STEPS

Wherever you are in the maturity of your cybersecurity program, SHI is here to help you solve what’s next. Want to continue the conversation? Click here to connect with a cybersecurity expert.