EDR vs. MDR: what your business actually needs
Two acronyms, one important difference: who is actually watching.
EDR: the tool
Endpoint Detection and Response is software on every device that spots suspicious behavior and can isolate a machine automatically. It's genuinely powerful, but it also generates a stream of alerts that someone has to triage, investigate, and act on.
MDR: the people behind the tool
Managed Detection and Response wraps a 24/7 security team around that software. They watch the alerts, investigate the real ones, and respond on your behalf. The tool finds the smoke; the humans decide whether it's a fire, and put it out.
Which one you need
If you already run a staffed security operations team, EDR alone may be enough. If you don't, and most growing businesses don't, MDR is what turns a piece of software into actual protection at three in the morning, when the alert that matters finally fires.