What is Open XDR?

In today's interconnected digital world, cybercrime has become a major threat to individuals, businesses, and governments alike. Cybercriminals are continuously evolving and refining their techniques, making it increasingly challenging for organizations to protect themselves from cyberattacks.

In fact, according to recent statistics, cybercrime is on the rise, with the global cost of cybercrime expected to reach $10.5 trillion by 2025.

In response to this growing threat, cybersecurity professionals are constantly developing new technologies and tools to combat cybercrime. One of the latest innovations is Open XDR, which stands for Open Extended Detection and Response. Open XDR is a new approach to cybersecurity that allows organizations to detect and respond to cyber threats more quickly and effectively by integrating multiple security technologies.

As cybercriminals become more sophisticated, it is crucial for organizations to keep pace with the latest cybersecurity tools and techniques to stay one step ahead of cybercrime. With Open XDR, organizations have an innovative solution that can help them detect and respond to cyber threats more effectively, ultimately helping to protect against the devastating consequences of cybercrime.

What is XDR?

XDR, or Extended Detection and Response, is a new approach to cybersecurity that allows organizations to detect and respond to cyber threats more quickly and effectively. XDR is an evolution of traditional endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools that integrate and correlate data from multiple sources, such as network logs, cloud applications, and email, to provide a more comprehensive view of the threat landscape.

XDR enables security teams to identify and investigate threats across multiple platforms and endpoints, providing a more holistic approach to cybersecurity. By consolidating security data from various sources, XDR allows security teams to detect threats that might otherwise go unnoticed, and respond more effectively to incidents.

One of the key benefits of XDR is that it uses advanced analytics and machine learning algorithms to identify patterns and anomalies in security data. This allows security teams to detect and respond to threats in real-time, minimizing the impact of cyberattacks.

So, what exactly is open XDR and how does it differ from native XDR? Read on to find out.

What is Open XDR?

XDR platforms can be broadly categorized as either “Native” or “Open” XDR platforms. While Native XDR refers to platforms that form part of a specific vendor’s ecosystem, Open XDR refers to platforms that are focused on integrating detection and response across multiple security vendors. This permits Open XDR platforms to provide a more comprehensive and integrated approach to cybersecurity by enabling organizations to integrate multiple security tools and data sources into a single platform.

Unlike Native XDR solutions, which are typically vendor-specific and closed, Open XDR is an open platform that allows organizations to integrate third-party security tools and data sources. This means that organizations can leverage their existing security investments, such as firewalls, endpoint protection, and cloud security, and integrate them into a unified security architecture.

Open XDR provides a central location for security operations teams to monitor and manage security incidents, investigate threats, and respond to cyberattacks. By consolidating and correlating data from multiple sources, Open XDR provides a more holistic view of the threat landscape, enabling security teams to detect and respond to threats more effectively.

Native XDR vs. Open XDR

Some people view Native XDR and Open XDR as two sides of the same coin — and really, they are. There are some key differences between the two types of platforms, though, which has caused some confusion when it comes to picking one solution over the other. Let’s look at some of the key differences that will help guide your decision.

Open XDR integrates with multiple vendors

Unlike Native XDR, which primarily works with products from the same vendor, Open XDR is more flexible as it can integrate and normalize data from multiple sources. This flexibility results in lower costs and the ability to use the best vendors for each piece of software.

Open XDR developers focus on combining telemetry from various vendors from the outset to perform cross-domain correlation. On the other hand, Native XDR vendors tend to add this later and have less focus on analyzing telemetry from external sources. This approach allows Open XDR to integrate and normalize data from multiple sources, making it easier to manage security alerts and streamline the triage process.

Open XDR's ultimate goal is to bring all security alerts to a single location, eliminating "swivel chair management." Having all alerts on one platform makes triage easier and ensures that security personnel can quickly identify and respond to potential threats. In summary, Open XDR's flexibility, ability to integrate with multiple vendors, and focus on combining telemetry from various sources make it an essential tool for effective threat detection and response.

It is important to note here that some native XDR vendors do integrate alerts from other vendors and more are starting to incorporate telemetry from other vendors. However, they often do not use those alerts in their detections, instead just passing them on as vendor alerts and not performing cross-domain correlation across multiple vendors' platforms.

Scalability

Scalability is a word that is most commonly associated with size. When we talk about scalability, it is tempting to think about it in terms of large or small security environments. However, in this discussion, we are more concerned with a platform’s ability to operate across a heterogeneous cybersecurity environment.

Both Native and Open XDR are able to be easily scaled in terms of size. Open XDR, though, is far more flexible than Native XDR thanks to the way it integrates and normalizes data from multiple sources, which allows for a wider range of data inputs and increases the potential for identifying threats. This makes Open XDR far easier to scale diversely across a heterogeneous environment.

Open XDR's ability to work with multiple vendors means that it can easily adapt to changes in technology, and its focus on bringing all security alerts to a single location allows for streamlined management and more efficient responses to potential threats.

Which should you choose?

Usually, this part of the article would simply say “it depends on the needs of your team,” but today it’s a little different. OpenXDR is the clear winner in this battle, and businesses should be focused on bringing OpenXDR solutions into their cybersecurity arsenal.

That being said, your business may not need OpenXDR. It’s best suited to large organizations with complex security systems and bigger threats to face. Smaller organizations may simply need a fast and simple solution, in which case Native XDR would be more than enough.

Looking for the best XDR solution? Try Samurai

As a vendor-agnostic, cloud-native, advanced threat detection and response platform, Samurai XDR guarantees cloud scalability, flexibility, visibility, and real-time actionable insights. Contact us today to find out more about how SamuraiXDR can improve your cybersecurity efforts.