By PC Madness ·
The short answer
Antivirus, EDR and MDR are three levels of protection for the computers and phones your business runs on. Antivirus blocks known malicious files. Endpoint detection and response (EDR) watches how each device behaves so it can catch attacks that don't look like a known file, and respond automatically. Managed detection and response (MDR) is EDR with a team of people watching the alerts and acting on them for you.
They are not competing products so much as steps up a ladder. The right step for a Perth small business depends on what you store, how many devices you have and, most importantly, whether anyone would actually notice and respond if something got past the first line of defence.
What antivirus does well, and where it stops
Traditional antivirus compares files and programs against a list of things already known to be malicious, along with some rules for spotting suspicious-looking code. If a file matches, it is blocked or quarantined. Modern antivirus, including the protection built into Windows, does this well and updates itself constantly.
The limits come from how many attacks now work:
- No file to catch. An attacker who logs in with a stolen password, or uses tools already built into the operating system, may never drop a malicious file at all.
- Brand-new threats. A file nobody has seen before is not on any list yet.
- Limited response. Antivirus blocks or quarantines a file. It generally can't tell you what else happened on the device, or cut the device off from the network while you investigate.
None of that makes antivirus useless. It still stops a large share of everyday threats, and every device should have it turned on and up to date.
What EDR adds
EDR software sits on each endpoint (laptops, desktops, servers and, depending on the product, phones and tablets) and records what is happening: which programs start, what they change, and what they connect to. Instead of only asking "is this file bad?", it asks "is this behaviour normal?"
That lets EDR pick up things antivirus can miss, such as a document that launches a hidden script, or a program that suddenly starts encrypting files. When it sees something like that, it can respond on its own: stop the process, isolate the device from the rest of the network, and in some products roll back the changes the attack made.
The catch is that EDR produces alerts, and alerts need a person to look at them. Some are serious, many are harmless, and telling them apart takes time and experience. An EDR console that nobody checks is only slightly better than antivirus.
What MDR adds on top
MDR is a service rather than a different piece of software. A provider runs the EDR across your devices and has people who review the alerts, investigate anything suspicious, take action such as isolating a device, and tell you what happened in plain language.
For most small businesses, this is the part that matters. You get the benefit of EDR without needing someone on staff who understands what an alert means and what to do about it.
Antivirus vs EDR vs MDR, side by side
| Dimension | Antivirus | EDR | MDR |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it detects | Matches known malicious files. | Also watches device behaviour. | Also watches device behaviour. |
| How it responds | Blocks or quarantines files. | Can also isolate a device and, in some products, roll back changes. | Adds a person deciding what to do next. |
| Who watches it | Mostly runs on its own. | Needs someone checking alerts. | The provider does that for you. |
| Effort for you | Low effort. | Without a team behind it is high effort. | Low effort because the work is outsourced. |
| Best fit | Very small, low-risk setups. | On its own, businesses with in-house security staff. | Small teams that hold valuable data but have no security specialist. |
When antivirus on its own is enough
For some businesses, well-maintained antivirus is a reasonable place to be. That is usually the case when:
- You are a sole trader or very small team with a handful of devices.
- You don't store much customer or payment information on your own computers.
- Your important files live in cloud services with their own protections, and you have a separate backup.
- Updates install automatically and multi-factor authentication is on for email and other key accounts.
In that situation, the bigger wins usually come from keeping devices patched, turning on multi-factor authentication and making sure backups work, rather than from upgrading endpoint software.
Signs you have outgrown antivirus
- You hold customer records, health or financial information, or anything you would have to report if it leaked.
- Staff work remotely or on their own devices, outside the office network.
- A ransomware attack would stop the business for days, not hours.
- Your insurer, customers or industry ask how you detect and respond to attacks.
- Nobody in the business would know what to do if a device started behaving strangely.
If several of those ring true, EDR is worth it, and for most small teams MDR is the practical way to get it, because the response is where the protection actually happens.
Endpoint protection is one layer, not the whole answer
Even the best MDR service can't fix a reused password or bring back data that was never backed up. Endpoint protection works best alongside multi-factor authentication, regular patching, independent cloud backups and security awareness training so staff can spot the phishing emails that start many attacks.
How PC Madness can help
Our EDR and MDR service puts endpoint detection and response on your Windows, macOS, Android and Linux devices, with automated isolation, ransomware rollback and monthly reporting, all managed by our team from Midland. If plain antivirus is enough for your business, we'll tell you that too.
Send us a message to book a free, obligation-free IT security audit and we'll look at what you have now and what, if anything, needs to change.
