Antivirus blocks known malware by signature. EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) watches endpoint behaviour, catches attacks antivirus misses, and lets you investigate and roll back. MDR (Managed Detection and Response) is EDR plus a team watching the alerts around the clock and responding for you.
Antivirus
Signature-based detection of known threats, built into Windows (Defender) and most security suites. Necessary, cheap, and no longer sufficient on its own – modern attacks use legitimate tools and fileless techniques it cannot see.
EDR
Records what processes do on each device and flags suspicious chains – a Word document spawning PowerShell that contacts an unknown server. It gives you detection, investigation, and the ability to isolate a device or undo changes. This is the current baseline for business endpoint security.
MDR
EDR generates alerts; someone has to triage and act on them, at any hour. MDR is a provider’s security team doing that – monitoring the EDR, investigating, and containing incidents on your behalf. For a small business with no security staff, it turns EDR from a tool into an outcome.
What a small business needs
- Minimum: Defender or equivalent antivirus, kept updated
- Baseline: a managed EDR product on every endpoint and server
- If you have valuable data or compliance needs: MDR, or a managed IT provider watching the EDR for you
We deploy and monitor EDR as standard in our cybersecurity service.
Related security guides
- What a firewall does
- Multi-factor authentication explained
- Network segmentation
- EDR vs antivirus vs MDR
- Security awareness training
- How to prevent ransomware
Want this handled? See our cybersecurity service or talk to our Edmonton team.
Frequently asked questions
Is Windows Defender enough?
For a home PC, often. For a business it is a reasonable antivirus layer but not a replacement for EDR – it lacks the behavioural detection, investigation and rollback that matter when something gets through.
Do I need EDR if I have a firewall?
Yes. A firewall controls network traffic; EDR protects the device itself, including laptops that leave the office and threats that arrive by email or USB.
What is the difference between MDR and a SOC?
A SOC (Security Operations Centre) is the team and facility; MDR is the packaged service a provider sells, usually built on a SOC plus EDR tooling. For a small business the practical unit is MDR.
How does Scandifix help?
We roll out managed EDR across your devices and servers, monitor the alerts, and respond to incidents – part of our cybersecurity and managed IT support.