Sophos Launches Managed Detection and Response (MDR) to Enhance Microsoft Defender Security

Sophos, a global leader in innovating and delivering cybersecurity as a service, has launched Sophos Managed Detection and Response (MDR) for Microsoft Defender, a fully-managed offering that provides the industry’s most robust threat response capabilities for organizations using Microsoft Security. Sophos MDR for Microsoft Defender adds a critical layer of 24/7 protection across the Microsoft Security suite of endpoint, SIEM, identity, cloud, and other solutions to safeguard against data breaches, ransomware and other active adversary cyberattacks.

“Baseline security technology alone is not enough to defeat determined attackers who will find a way in, as evidenced by the cases our incident response team manages. Attackers are extremely persistent, and organizations need a human layer of security to conduct threat hunts, identify attacker behaviours attempting to evade security tools and respond to stop attacks with speed and precision,” said Raja Patel, senior vice president of products and managed services at Sophos. “Rather than forcing them to rip and replace existing technologies, we support organizations with what they need, how and where they need it – regardless of what security solutions they already use. For channel partners delivering Microsoft Security offerings, there’s a tremendous opportunity to ensure customers are fully protected and maximizing value from their existing deployments.”

Sophos MDR for Microsoft Defender integrates telemetry from a broad range of Microsoft Security tools. Unlike other MDR offerings that limit support to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint or Microsoft Sentinel and provide minimal threat response capabilities, Sophos MDR fortifies the broader Microsoft Security suite, including:

• Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
• Microsoft Defender for Identity
• Microsoft Defender for Cloud
• Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps
• Identity Protection (Azure Active Directory)
• Office 365 Security and Compliance Center
• Microsoft Sentinel
• Office 365 Management Activity

Telemetry from these sources is automatically consolidated, correlated and prioritized with insights from the Sophos Adaptive Cybersecurity Ecosystem and the Sophos X-Ops threat intelligence unit of more than 500 security analysts, threat hunters, responders, data scientists, and other specialists across Sophos worldwide. This enables the Sophos MDR operations team to identify and stop more threats than Microsoft Security tools – or any security technology – can on their own.

“Sixty-five percent of organizations have had a significant ransomware event in the last 12 months despite significant investments in cybersecurity tools, according to IDC research. It is often not a tool but a people problem. Most IT and security teams are generally overworked, understaffed and under-resourced. They cannot triage and address the daily deluge of alerts and issues to get the desired protections promised from their current tool investments,” said Frank Dickson, group vice president for IDC’s Security and Trust research practice. “For organizations leveraging the Microsoft security stack, Sophos MDR assists those to realize the outcomes hoped for from their existing cybersecurity investments.”

“Our guiding principle is to deliver the best security outcomes possible for our customers. Advancements in technologies like extended detection and response (XDR) and generative AI are driving efficiencies in security operations, but the human element remains a critical component to stopping advanced threats,” said Kieron Newsham, chief technologist – cyber security at Softcat. “We’re really pleased with how Sophos MDR is helping our customers overcome the increasing talent shortage and widening skills gap to deliver the best cybersecurity outcomes possible, independent of the customer’s size, structure or previous technology investments.”

Sophos MDR is the most widely used MDR offering with more than 17,000 customers of all sizes and across all industries and is the top-rated and most reviewed MDR solution on Gartner Peer Insights and G2. It is the only MDR service that can be delivered across end users’ existing third-party security deployments as well as Sophos offerings. In addition to Microsoft, organizations can also integrate telemetry sources from dozens of other vendors, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, CrowdStrike, Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, Check Point, Okta, Darktrace, and many others, through the Sophos Marketplace.

Availability
Sophos MDR for Microsoft Defender is available now to all Sophos MDR Essentials customers using security technologies included in Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 licenses. The customizable offering with different threat response options is available through Sophos’ global channel of reseller partners and Managed Service Providers (MSPs).