Cybersecurity
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) is a cybersecurity technology that monitors endpoints (laptops, servers, mobile devices) for malicious activity, automatically responds to threats, and provides forensics for security teams. EDR is the modern evolution of traditional antivirus — it goes beyond signature-based detection to behaviour analysis and active response.
EDR continuously monitors endpoint activity: file changes, process executions, network connections, registry modifications, user behaviour. Using behaviour-based analytics + machine learning + threat intelligence, EDR detects attacks that traditional antivirus misses: fileless malware, living-off-the-land attacks, zero-days, ransomware, insider threats. When threats are detected, EDR can automatically: isolate the endpoint from network, kill malicious processes, rollback file changes, alert security team. Leading EDR products in India include Trend Micro, CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Sophos Intercept X, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Bitdefender.
Industries served: All Indian businesses, Especially BFSI, Healthcare, Government, IT Services with sensitive customer data
Related terms: Antivirus, XDR (Extended Detection and Response), SIEM, Zero Trust Security, Ransomware Protection
Traditional antivirus uses signature-based detection — it can only catch known threats. Modern attacks (fileless malware, ransomware variants, living-off-the-land techniques) often have no signature and evade antivirus. EDR uses behaviour analysis to detect unknown threats — catches the 60-80% of modern attacks that antivirus misses. For Indian businesses facing 265M+ cyber attacks per year, EDR is the baseline expectation, not antivirus.
~₹2,500-5,000 per endpoint per year for typical Indian SMB. Specific pricing: Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security ~₹2,500/endpoint, Sophos Intercept X ~₹3,000, CrowdStrike Falcon ~₹4,000-5,000, SentinelOne ~₹4,000, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 (included in M365 E5 or standalone). For 50 endpoints, annual cost is ₹1.25-3 lakh — high-ROI security spend.
EDR monitors endpoints only. XDR (Extended Detection and Response) extends monitoring to email, network, cloud apps, identity — providing unified detection across the entire attack surface. XDR is the "next generation" of EDR. For most Indian SMBs, modern EDR (Trend Micro, CrowdStrike, Sophos) increasingly includes XDR-style cloud + email correlation features in the same product.
For Microsoft 365 E5 customers (₹2,030+/user/month), Defender for Endpoint is included — cost-effective if you already pay for E5. For other Indian SMBs, specialist EDR (Trend Micro, Sophos, CrowdStrike) at ₹2,500-5,000/endpoint is often comparable to upgrading to E5. Compare on: detection efficacy (independent tests like MITRE Engenuity show top 3 fairly close), management UX, India support quality.
EDR detects ransomware via behaviour: massive file changes within minutes, encryption activity, unusual process execution. When detected, EDR can: (1) automatically isolate the infected endpoint from network, (2) kill the ransomware process, (3) rollback encrypted files (some EDR products like Sophos Intercept X include CryptoGuard rollback), (4) alert security team for further investigation. Compared to "discover infection after backup demand", EDR-based protection saves Indian businesses ₹50 lakh-5 crore per prevented incident.
Free EDR evaluation for Indian SMBs — Trend Micro, CrowdStrike, Sophos compared.