eSentire recognized in Gartner's Managed Detection and Response market guide

CAMBRIDGE, ONTARIO – June 15, 2017 – eSentire Inc., the largest pure-play Managed Detection and Response ^TM (MDR) provider, today announced that it was included as a representative vendor in Gartner’s 2017 Market Guide for Managed Detection and Response Services.

Gartner recommends that IT security and risk management leaders involved with security monitoring and operations should use MDR services to implement threat detection and incident response capabilities when they don’t exist or are immature, or when approaches such as Managed Security Services (MSS) haven’t met expectations.

"The shift to detection and response approaches spans people, process and technology elements and will drive a majority of security market growth over the next five years," said Sid Deshpande, principal research analyst at Gartner. "While this does not mean that prevention is unimportant or that chief information security officers (CISOs) are giving up on preventing security incidents, it sends a clear message that prevention is futile unless it is tied into a detection and response capability."

Competition from Other MDR Vendors

While the number of representative MDR vendors has more than doubled since eSentire was included in the original 2016 report, Gartner acknowledges that this is due in part to vendor efforts to migrate or integrate existing technologies to better match MDR service attributes. However, Gartner urges that not all MDR vendors are created equal and that, “Clients should be wary of claims from traditional MSSPs on their ability to deliver MDR-like services. Delivering these services requires technologies not traditionally in scope for MSS, such as endpoint threat detection and response, network behavior analysis and network forensic tools.”¹

“In the report, Gartner states that 'by 2020, 15% of organizations will be using services such as MDR, which is an increase from fewer than 1% today',” said Nick Lantuh, eSentire Executive Chairman. “As the largest and most advanced pure-play MDR vendor, eSentire is poised to capitalize on the explosive growth of this category. We pioneered MDR and remain committed to leading threat detection and response innovation, while delivering the white-glove service our customers have grown accustomed to.”

Competition from Traditional MSSPs

Gartner notes that overlap between Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) and MDR Providers will decrease in the next 24 months, and that most major MSSPs will offer some sort of MDR service. However, Gartner also states that, “The difference between MSSPs and leading MDR providers is expected to continue to favor MDR-specific players for at least another five years, or perhaps longer.”

Bridging the Midmarket Gap with MDR

The sense of urgency, driven by rising industry risk and increasing regulatory requirements, have underscored the gap facing many midmarket organizations working with limited in-house cybersecurity resources and budgets. To that end, eSentire witnessed a steep increase in the number of threats processed through its Security Operations Centers (SOCs) located in Canada and Europe, with rudimentary attacks – such as intrusion attempts, information gathering, and policy violations – posing the greatest risk to midsized organizations.

According to its recent 2016 Midmarket Threat Summary Report, eSentire found that cybercriminals are moving away from sophisticated malicious code attacks, with the majority of attackers preferring inexpensive and automated methods of intrusions, exploiting ‘low hanging fruit’ (representing almost 30% of all observed events).

“Midmarket organizations are the target of choice for cyber-attackers looking for easy prey, and managed detection and response – delivered by our elite security analysts – is the last line of defense when it comes to guarding against cyber threats,” said J.Paul Haynes, eSentire CEO. “eSentire’s eyes-on-glass model that MDR provides is the critical difference when it comes to preventing a business-altering event. eSentire designed its solutions specifically for this market and continuously proves its capabilities. Hundreds of midmarket organizations support eSentire with their trust, referrals, and feedback, which enables eSentire to partner with these firms and sustain consistent growth.”

About eSentire:

eSentire® is the largest pure-play Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service provider, keeping organizations safe from constantly evolving cyber-attacks that technology alone cannot prevent. Its 24x7 Security Operations Center (SOC), staffed by elite security analysts, hunts, investigates, and responds in real-time to known and unknown threats before they become business disrupting events. Protecting more than $3 trillion in corporate assets, eSentire absorbs the complexity of cybersecurity, delivering enterprise-grade protection and the ability to comply with growing regulatory requirements. For more information, visit www.esentire.com and follow @eSentire.

¹Gartner, Managed Detection and Response Services Market Guide, Toby Bussa, Kelly M. Kavanagh, Craig Lawson, and Sid Deshpande, May 2017.

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