When considering, ‘what is MDR’ in cyber security, it is Managed Detection and Response, combining 24/7 monitoring, threat detection, and rapid incident response delivered by expert analysts using advanced security technologies.
Unlike traditional security tools that simply alert you to threats, MDR services actively investigate and respond. This can then contain incidents; isolate affected assets and support recovery.
The global MDR market is projected to exceed £7.5 billion by 2028, reflecting how essential continuous detection and response has become in the cyber-defence world. However, with so many vendors and overlapping terms, selecting the right partner requires clarity on capability, coverage, and culture.
Why organisations need MDR
Building in-house 24/7 detection and response capability is costly and complex. Maintaining a team of experienced analysts, security engineers, and incident responders requires significant investment and continuous upskilling.
MDR bridges that gap. It provides immediate access to a Security Operations Centre (SOC) with the people, technology, and intelligence to protect your organisation day and night.
MDR is ideal for organisations that:
- Require 24/7 threat coverage and fast response times
- Struggle with alert fatigue or false positives
- Want unified visibility across cloud, network, and endpoint tools
- Need escalation support from experienced security professionals
- Have multifunctional IT/Security teams with limited capacity
- Operate under compliance frameworks such as ISO 27001 or SOC 2
MDR ensures that your business remains secure, compliant, and operational, even when the threat landscape shifts.
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Choosing the right MDR provider
Selecting the right partner is critical. The MDR provider becomes an extension of your internal security team, providing insight, context, and action when it matters most.
Before engaging, define your priorities clearly.
Key questions to consider:
- Purpose: Do you need 24/7 coverage, advanced threat hunting, or operational resilience?
- Integration: Can the MDR platform work with your existing tools and telemetry?
- Budget: Are you seeking mid-range or enterprise-grade capability?
- Coverage: Does the provider protect endpoints, cloud, identity, and network assets?
- Communication: How transparent is their engagement model during live incidents?
- Scalability: Will their platform evolve with your future environment?
- Response: What actions can the provider take on your behalf?
- Non-negotiables: Are there compliance or data residency requirements that must be met?
Key considerations when evaluating MDR solutions
Technology Stack
- EDR-based MDR: Strong endpoint visibility, limited elsewhere.
- SIEM-based MDR: Broad ingestion across log sources, but often slower and more resource-intensive.
- XDR-based MDR: Correlates activity across endpoints, email, identity, cloud, and network, offering richer context and faster detection.
Operational Model
- True 24/7 Coverage: Ensure global or follow-the-sun capability, not simply on-call response.
- Architecture Alignment: Confirm compatibility with hybrid and cloud environments.
- Integration: Look for open-XDR flexibility, not closed ecosystems that restrict choice.
- Telemetry Coverage: The MDR should collect and correlate across every critical system.
- Customisation: Playbooks and response procedures should reflect your environment and risk appetite.
- SLAs: Clarify timelines for alerting, triage, and escalation.
Additional Considerations
- Incident Response Retainer: Confirm post-incident support is included.
- Shared Responsibility: Understand exactly who owns detection, containment, and remediation.
- Transparency: Choose providers that offer visibility through shared dashboards and investigation logs, not “black box” services.
Comparing MDR providers
When comparing vendors, use objective metrics to ensure fair evaluation:
| Criteria | Questions to Ask |
| Commercials | What are the pricing models? How predictable are costs? |
| Total Cost of Ownership | Are there additional charges for storage, integrations, or data retention? |
| Performance | How do SLAs align with your operational requirements? |
| Customer Service | What communication channels exist during live incidents? |
| User Feedback | What do current clients report about responsiveness and expertise? |
| Resilience | Does the provider guarantee continuity and redundancy across regions? |
| Compliance | Are they certified? (ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials Plus) |
Steps to selecting your MDR partner
Step 1 – Define your requirements
Clarify your risk profile, current security stack, and detection maturity. Establish what “good” looks like in terms of visibility, response, and governance.
Step 2 – Build a shortlist
Use independent research or trusted advisors to identify vendors that align with your size, sector, and regulatory requirements.
Step 3 – Evaluate capability
Compare shortlisted providers across technical, operational, and commercial dimensions, ensuring their platform integrates with your existing investments.
Step 4 – Test through demos or proof of concept
Validate performance in your environment. Assess the provider’s responsiveness, analyst transparency, and detection quality.
Step 5 – Onboard and align
Ensure onboarding plans, response playbooks, and escalation paths are realistic and well-defined before going live.
Why use Amicis Group to support your MDR
At Amicis Group, we combine enterprise-grade MDR capability with deep UK sector experience, supporting organisations across legal, finance, construction, healthcare and many more.
We help our clients:
- Detect and contain threats in real time
- Strengthen governance and compliance
- Align cyber resilience with business continuity
- Simplify the complexity of modern cyber defence
True resilience comes from clarity, not complexity.
Amicis Group helps you achieve both.
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or call us on 0333 305 5348 to support your MDR
You may be interested also be interested in our MDR Service page.
