What is MDR? The initial search for MDR solutions concerns an SMB just as it does an enterprise-level IT decision maker.
The trend toward going digital has been transforming businesses at the enterprise level for several decades. Most importantly, the trend has trickled down to SMBs in the last two decades at a significant level.
Post COVID-19, the massive surge of SMBs and startups around the world expanded the digital landscape for cybercriminals to target.
SMBs, although smaller in size, hold valuable customer data and a significant amount of payment details. It creates the perfect opportunity for cybercriminals to seize this data and profit from it directly or by selling it on the dark web.
With large enterprises fortifying their digital vulnerabilities, the focus of cybercriminals shifts to their hierarchical successors—small businesses and SMBs.
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Cybersecurity Threats are Increasing for SMBs: Here’s Why
We have explored several reasons why SMBs should be aware of MDR and consider this expert-led as their frontline to cybersecurity.
The following are the common reasons why SMBs are at severe risk of cyber threats in today’s times.
Remote Work
Remote work is the new norm for most workplaces. According to a Statista report, 28% employees were working remotely in 2023. This number is expected to increase by 2025.
Such a work environment creates thousands of endpoint users for enterprises and a substantial number of users for SMBs, thereby broadening the primary target surface for cybercriminals. It’s not difficult for a sophisticated cyber criminal to break into the business system and steal valuable data.
SMBs are the Attractive target.
Often viewed as the “low-hanging fruit” due to limited IT resources and experts, SMBs are an easy-to-penetrate option for bad actors. According to strongdm.com, “40% of small businesses reported they lost crucial data as a result of an attack.” Furthermore, “75% of SMBs could not operate once hit by ransomware.”
24/7 Monitoring
SMBs typically don’t operate out of their business hours. Even with a minimum in-house IT and security resources, small businesses have almost no protection outside business hours. Since cyber threats don’t adhere to business hours, SMBs remain vulnerable.
Attackers don’t Discriminate: High Risks and Potential Losses for SMBs
SMBs can no longer shy away, thinking their business is too small to be ignored by attackers. A MasterCard survey on 5000 SMBs across four different continents suggests that 46% of them faced a cyberattack.
Worst case? 80% of the SMBs were left to rebuild their reputation with their clients and customers, which ultimately affected their business in the long term. Even small technical gaps in a business network can create a financial drain, lead to legal battles, and damage the company’s reputation.
These instances make it quite evident why SMBs must rely on sophisticated cybersecurity services through MDR technology and solutions. But why not traditional security approaches? We’ll come to that.
Challenges SMBs Face with Traditional Security Approaches
Traditional cybersecurity approaches fortify SMBs to some extent. But they fall behind by a significant margin. The following are some challenges most SMBs with a traditional cybersecurity approach face.
Limited Budgets and Staffing: SMBs would create a huge dent in their operational budget by opting for an enterprise-level team of IT and SOC ( Security Operations Center). The cost incurred for such resources full-time is sizable and not SMB-friendly.
Alert Fatigue: Automated threat detection and alert tools get fatigued while taking in a flood of alerts. In most cases, the alerts are false and hold minimal significance. Such fatigue creates inefficiencies in automated alert tools, making them incapable of differentiating between critical threats and false alerts.
When the manual work is assigned to a small IT team of SMBs, they simply don’t have enough bandwidth.
Talent Hunt & Retention Struggle: It’s difficult to find the right talent for cybersecurity. Even if the shortage were to ease, the competitive landscape of SMBs and larger enterprises makes it almost impossible for them to retain top IT talent. Either way, the expense goes beyond what an SMB can budget for.
Compliance Complexity: Regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS require SMBs to implement effective cybersecurity measures. Sadly, traditional approaches to cybersecurity often fall short of regulatory standards.
The traditional “buy more technology” approach falls flat. Even the best security software needs ongoing tuning, monitoring, and expert insight to function effectively. Eventually, SMBs continue to pay for multiple additional solutions with their maintenance costs, requiring more pages in the budget document.
MDR: The Modern Security Solution for All
The new and most thoughtful solution in today’s landscape of cyber threats is an MDR service. It’s the modern solution to take a human-machine approach to cybersecurity to proactively monitor cyber threats, detect fraudulent activities, and respond to them.
The combination of cutting-edge cybersecurity tools, AI, and IT experts outsourced from around the globe enables SMBs to identify and prevent attacks before they occur.
So, what is MDR in cyber security, and what does it offer? Here’s what SMBs get:
- 24/7 monitoring and rapid detection of live threats, even outside business hours.
- A human-powered threat hunting capacity that goes beyond the automated approach of a software-enabled threat monitoring.
- Furthermore, human-led analysis of the threat and solutions weeds out false positives, leaving only the actionable advice you need.
In short, MDR services provide SMBs the security solution that a full team of talented IT experts with state-of-the-art security tools would provide—without putting a dent in your budget.
MDR Vs. Traditional Security: Flash Comparison
| Feature/Capability | Traditional Security Tools | Managed Detection & Response (MDR) |
| Monitoring | Business hours only | 24/7/365 real-time monitoring |
Threat Detection | Signature-based, reactive | Proactive threat hunting (may leverage automation or AI tools) |
| Incident Response | Manual, delayed | Expert-led, rapid response |
| Resource Requirements | In-house team, high cost | Outsourced, cost-effective |
| Scalability | Limited by internal capacity | Easily scalable for SMBs |
| Compliance Support | Minimal | Built-in reporting & documentation |
| Expertise | Depends on internal staff | Access to certified security analysts |
Strategic Value of MDR for SMBs
MDRs play a spontaneous role in cybersecurity prevention. However, Sangfor’s solutions also have smarter business applications. For SMBs, the strategic benefits are endless. The prime benefits are:
- Compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, and ISO 27001 applies to businesses of all sizes and scales.
- Developing an all-inclusive security infrastructure without hiring any full-time staff.
How Sangfor’s MDR Brings Enterprise-Grade Protection to SMBs
Previously known as Sangfor Cyber Guardian MDR, the MDR solution of Sangfor now goes by the name Sangfor Athena MDR. Sangfor has built this solution to democratize security and bring SMBs within the same safe zone as large-scale Enterprises.
The fusion of AI and human-centric execution, led by a team of 400 experts, makes the Sangfor MDR solution a resilient force against emerging cyber threats. While the security aspect remains uncompromised, Sangfor has kept the pricing reasonable for SMBs to enjoy enterprise-grade peace of mind.
SMBs opting for the Sangfor Athena MDR solution enjoy the following benefits:
Expert-Led Operations: Response to false positive alerts is zeroed down thanks to human-led analysis and personalized guidance.
Advanced Technology: AI-powered detection and threat intelligence strengthen the judgment of experts and their intelligence, improving security at all endpoints as a result.
Continuous Coverage: 24/7 and 365 days of vigilance and alertness, provided by expert-led cybersecurity solutions, make Sangfor MDR the right fit for on-premises, cloud-based, or remote environments.
Cost Savings: SMBs enjoy the best cost optimization benefits by using managed detection and response. Sangfor Athena MDR slashes costs by up to 75% versus in-house teams.
Custom Support: Here’s another worth mentioning benefit. Sangfor MDR solutions aren’t a one-size-fits-all approach to outsourced cybersecurity. They have a Pre-service Onboarding process. It means they analyze the client’s environment before tailoring recommendations to them.
Rapid Onboarding: MDR systems can go live in as little as 7 days with minimal business disruption. So, SMBs need not worry about the onboarding process hampering their operation.
Sangfor Athena MDR: Enterprise Grade Protection, Customized for SMBs
Many cybersecurity brands are coming up in the market with MDR solutions. However, SangforAthena MDR is different.
Sangfor designed this service to help businesses of all sizes, irrespective of scale, niche, and target market. Sangfor has specialized MDR services to match the needs of SMBs, too.
Using their proprietary Security GPT AI, Sangfor offers real-time threat detection, business-specific insights, and expert response. Thus, SMBs can now operate freely, without recruiting any dedicated in-house security unit.
Where Sangfor is Ahead of Others:
1. An ISO 27001-certified SOC composed of 400+ cybersecurity experts
2. AI-powered threat management ecosystem, with the ability to detect, track, and annihilate threats with 99% precision.
3. Only 30 minutes mean-time taken to detect threats
4. Quarterly reports on threat hunting for SMBs and quarterly configuration optimization
5. Seamlessly looped with Sangfor’s Endpoint Secure, aDesk VDI, and NGFW.
Whether you are only a start-up or an emerging SMB, Sangfor’s MDR solutions can adapt to your business infrastructure, budget, and risk profile.
Real World Impact: Sangfor in Action for SMBs
In 2023, a vocational training institute from Southeast Asia implemented Sangfor Athena MDR. The aim was to improve their cybersecurity posture. Even with a small in-house IT team and scarce resources, the client saw major differences after onboarding Sangfor. What were the effects?
- Continuous threat notifications that helped their small team stay informed about potential breaches
- Agile incident response helped minimize the downtime and disruption considerably.
- Quarterly publication of threat scanning reports, offering conspicuous actionable insights for deploying a strong security wireframe in the long run
- No major breach events have been reported during the 2-year MDR deployment period.
In the words of the client company’s IT head:
“Sangfor’s managed threat detection solution gave us the confidence to work securely, without having a full-time security unit. It was the same as having your own virtual SOC, always watching and safeguarding us.”
Why Now: Making the Shift to MDR Security
With growing cyber threats, SMBs can no longer stay in a standby mode waiting for the problem to strike. Choosing MDR solutions is like buying a proactive armour of protection for SMBs. You get world-class security at the budget your business can afford to spend.
Ready to learn more or take the next step? MDR isn’t just for big businesses. In today’s threat landscape, it’s a necessity for every organization looking to grow securely.
Ready to Protect your Business with Enterprise Grade MDR?
Cyber threats equally affect small startups and emerging brands. Your cybersecurity should be equally prepared. Sangfor Athena MDR provides 24/7 protection, expert response, and a comprehensive security framework tailored to your business needs.
- No internal SOC required
- AI empowered treatment capturing mechanism
- Affordable and flexible packages for the SMBs
