Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Welcome to Perimeter Perspective, the podcast where we explore the strategies, challenges, and innovations shaping the future of cybersecurity and IT management. Hosted by the experts at Next Perimeter, this show dives into zero trust principles, cloud-first solutions, and the evolving role of technology in modern businesses. Whether you’re an IT leader, business owner, or tech enthusiast, Perimeter Perspective offers actionable insights and engaging discussions to help you secure your digital landscape and thrive in a rapidly changing world.
Did you know that 60% of small businesses close within six months of a cyberattack? With ransomware, phishing, and account takeovers on the rise, security cannot be an afterthought.
Michael Moore:Welcome to Perimeter Perspective, the podcast that helps businesses navigate the ever changing world of cybersecurity to stay secure and thrive in the digital age.
Alyssa Birchfield:I'm Alyssa Birchfield, and I'm joined by my co host, Michael Moore. Together, we represent Next Perimeter, a cloud first cybersecurity and IT services firm dedicated to helping businesses simplify security, reduce risk, and stay ahead of evolving threats.
Michael Moore:Today, we're breaking down MXDR, how it detects and stops threats before they escalate, and why SMBs need a proactive all in one security approach.
Alyssa Birchfield:As many people know, I work on the marketing operations side here at NextPerimeter, but I'm always curious to know more about how all of these IT solutions actually work for our clients. So today, I'll be asking Michael the tough questions to keep this conversation grounded for our listeners.
Michael Moore:Absolutely, Alyssa. And let's start with the reality that many small and midsize businesses are facing right now. If you're running a business today, chances are you have a hybrid work environment, employees logging in from multiple locations, using a mix of SaaS tools and corporate devices. The challenge? Protecting all of it, your network, devices, identities, and data without stretching your IT team too thin or blowing up your budget.
Alyssa Birchfield:That is a huge challenge, and I think that a lot of businesses are probably feeling that pressure right now. So where does MXDR fit into this picture?
Michael Moore:MXDR or manage extended detection and response is designed to address exactly that problem. It provides advanced threat detection, rapid response, and proactive monitoring across your entire IT ecosystem. Unlike traditional security solutions that only focus on endpoints, like antivirus or EDR, endpoint detection and response, MXDR takes a broader, more comprehensive approach.
Alyssa Birchfield:Okay. But what does the extended actually mean in MXDR? Can you talk a little bit about how it's different from standard EDR solutions?
Michael Moore:Well, yeah, traditional EDR solutions only monitor individual devices like laptops or servers. That's a problem because many modern cyberattacks don't start on an endpoint. If an attacker logs into a Microsoft three sixty five account using stolen credentials, EDR won't even see that as a threat because there's no malware or file scan. That's where MXDR changes the game. Instead of focusing on just one piece of the attack, MXDR connects the dots between cloud applications, user behavior, and network activity to detect the breach before real damage is done.
Michael Moore:For example, if a user account is suddenly accessed from another country, MXDR flags the login, tracks their activity inside the system, and looks for signs of lateral movement, like accessing sensitive files or creating new accounts. If something suspicious is happening, MXDR triggers an alert to security staff, allowing them to block access before the attacker can escalate their attack.
Alyssa Birchfield:Okay. Yeah. So it's not just looking at isolated incidents, but actually correlating multiple security signals to spot sophisticated threats then?
Michael Moore:Exactly. That's the power of extended detection. It prevents security blind spots that attackers often exploit. Instead of just responding to an attack after it's already in progress, MXDR proactively identifies and allows IT to shut those threats down before they can spread.
Alyssa Birchfield:Yeah. That makes a lot of sense then because cyberattacks today aren't just about viruses anymore. They're about things like identity theft, compromised credentials, and lateral movement.
Michael Moore:Right. And that's why businesses can't rely on endpoint only solutions anymore. They need something that monitors the entire IT environment, devices, cloud platforms, user accounts, networks, all in real time.
Alyssa Birchfield:There are a lot of cybersecurity solutions out there that claim to detect and respond to threats, but let's talk about what makes next perimeters MXDR different.
Michael Moore:Well, one of the biggest differentiators is a converged approach to security. Instead of focusing on just one piece like endpoint protection or network monitoring, We've unified SIEM, MDR, and SASE into one platform.
Alyssa Birchfield:So that means that businesses don't have to juggle multiple security tools then. Right?
Michael Moore:Right. Traditionally, businesses would have separate tools for SIEM, MDR, network monitoring, and identity protection. Next parameters, MXDR consolidates all that into a single solution, making security simpler, more effective, and easier to manage. And one of the key advantages, you get the best of both worlds, agent based security for endpoints and agentless SIEM for cloud environments.
Alyssa Birchfield:Agentless SIEM. Okay. So how does that help businesses?
Michael Moore:Great question. Unlike traditional SIEM that requires businesses to deploy servers to ingest log data, agentless SIEM allows us to pull security logs directly from the cloud services, like Microsoft three sixty five and Google Workspace, without the need for extra infrastructure. And that means no additional servers to manage, no extra agents slowing down performance, and faster onboarding and real time visibility into cloud security events. So whether a business has employees working on premises or fully remote, MXDR seamlessly collects, analyzes, and correlates security data across all environments without adding complexity.
Alyssa Birchfield:That is a huge benefit. So instead of businesses having to build out their own security infrastructure themselves, MXDR gives them the full protection without the headaches.
Michael Moore:Exactly. With a single agent for endpoint security and agentless seen for cloud environments, businesses get comprehensive protection without the heavy lifting.
Alyssa Birchfield:Okay. So, you know, we have to talk about it. But what about AI? I know many cybersecurity solutions are starting to use artificial intelligence, but some businesses are still kind of skeptical about it.
Michael Moore:Yeah. I I knew this would come up. It's understandable. AI is often overhyped, and businesses worry that it's just another buzzword. But in cybersecurity, AI has a very real practical role, especially for small IT teams that are overwhelmed by security alerts.
Michael Moore:Most businesses receive hundreds of security alerts every single day. Up to 90% of them are false alarms. That means IT teams, they waste hours sifting through logs, investigating notifications that don't actually matter while real threats slip right through the cracks. That's where AI makes a difference. First, it cuts through the noise.
Michael Moore:Most IT teams drown in security alerts. So many that real threats can get lost in the flood. AI solves this by filtering out false alarms and spotting actual threats faster. If a process is harmless, it's dismissed instantly. No human effort required.
Michael Moore:Second, AI correlates security data across multiple platforms. Instead of treating every login attempt or file changes like an isolated event, it looks for the connections between activities, like a suspicious login followed by an unusual data transfer. Finally, it generates clear human readable reports. Instead of forcing IT teams to manually investigate every event, AI summarizes the key details, highlights potential risks, and even suggests next steps, saving valuable time.
Alyssa Birchfield:So instead of IT teams drowning in false positives, they're actually focusing on stopping real threats before they escalate then?
Michael Moore:Precisely. And for businesses that don't have a dedicated security team, that's where NextPerimeter's twenty four seven Security Operations Center, or SOC, comes in. Our analysts work alongside AI to review, validate, and respond to threats so SMBs aren't left handling security all on their own.
Alyssa Birchfield:What about onboarding? I know that's a pain point for a lot of businesses when implementing new security tools.
Michael Moore:That's another area where we've simplified things. With our cloud native and life cycle management approach, onboarding a new user takes just ninety seconds.
Alyssa Birchfield:Ninety seconds seems almost too easy.
Michael Moore:I know. Right? But that's exactly the point. Traditional security solutions often require businesses to configure multiple systems, install many different agents on each device, and set up complex rules just to get started. We've streamlined the entire process so businesses can get up and running quickly.
Michael Moore:They don't have to build out an entire security infrastructure from scratch.
Alyssa Birchfield:So can we talk a little bit about how MXDR is actually handling the threats in real time as they happen?
Michael Moore:Yes. It it follows a structured process. First, there's detection. Our platform continuously monitors activity across endpoints, networks, identities, and cloud applications. Suspicious behavior, like an unauthorized login from an unfamiliar location or an unusual file download is immediately flagged for review.
Michael Moore:By correlating security data across multiple layers, we can spot potential threats before they escalate into real breaches.
Alyssa Birchfield:And that's huge because a lot of businesses don't realize how often early warning signs are missed. If you're only looking at endpoint security or just monitoring network traffic, for example, you might not be catching the full picture of an attack.
Michael Moore:Spot on. That's why the next step, analysis and triage, is so important. Instead of overwhelming IT teams with a flood of alerts, our SOC analysts focus on identifying high priority threats first By reducing false positives and eliminating unnecessary noise, we ensure that the most critical incidents receive immediate attention, allowing for faster decision making.
Alyssa Birchfield:Yeah. And that's such a big deal because I've heard that many IT teams struggle with alert fatigue because they get bombarded with security notifications that might not even be real threats.
Michael Moore:Indeed. Once a threat is confirmed, the response phase kicks in. This is where security orchestration automation and response, SOAR, plays a key role. If an endpoint is compromised, we can automatically isolate it from the network. If an identity is breached, we can revoke access, force a password reset, or require multifactor authentication before further damage can be done.
Michael Moore:By leveraging SOAR automation, NextPerimeter can contain threats real time without requiring manual intervention, ensuring faster response.
Alyssa Birchfield:The automation piece is key because cyberattacks happen so fast. I imagine being able to cut off access instantly can prevent a minor issue from turning into a full scale breach.
Michael Moore:That's exactly right. And that leads to the final step, post incident reporting. After containing a threat, we provide businesses with detailed documentation outlining what happened, how it was handled, and most importantly, how to prevent it from happening again.
Alyssa Birchfield:Okay. So, Michael, let's talk about business impact now. What are the biggest benefits that SMBs usually get from MXDR?
Michael Moore:The biggest benefit is risk reduction by correlating data across the entire IT ecosystem. We stop threats before they cause real damage. But equally important is flexibility. Some businesses prefer a fully managed security approach where we handle everything. Others want a co managed model where their internal IT team works alongside our SOC.
Michael Moore:The next perimeter can accommodate both, and either way, they get round the clock protection.
Alyssa Birchfield:That's great. And we should mention that on our website, we have a downloadable resource titled MXDR Essentials, simplified security for modern businesses if our audience would like to check that out. But let's bring this whole idea to life for our listeners. Can you share a real world example of how an SMB used MXDR to strengthen their security specifically in a hybrid environment?
Michael Moore:Of course. Imagine this. Monday morning, a regional health care provider, a 50 employees, multiple clinics. Their IT manager sipping a coffee begins the morning routine, checking overnight logs, expecting a normal day, but something doesn't look right. An employee's account was accessed at 2AM from a country where they don't even operate.
Michael Moore:No malware, no security alert, just an unauthorized user quietly moving through their systems. The employees whose credentials were used verified they weren't online at the time. No malware was detected. No security tool flagged it. What's worse, the attacker had been inside the system for days, quietly moving through files, searching for sensitive patient records, testing which accounts had admin access.
Michael Moore:At this moment, the IT team has two choices, scramble to react, trying to trace the attacker steps, revoke access, and hope they contain the breach before patient data is stolen. Or if they had MXDR, the attack wouldn't have gotten this far.
Alyssa Birchfield:Oh, no. So what happens next then?
Michael Moore:After scrambling to contain the attack and realizing their current security tools weren't enough, they made a decision. It was time for a change. They implemented MXDR, and almost immediately the difference was clear. Instead of relying on separate security tools that didn't communicate, MXDR unified their network endpoint and cloud security, giving them full visibility to their environment. Instead of waiting for something to go wrong, MXDR proactively monitored for early warning signs, flagging suspicious login attempts, unusual file access, and credential misuse before it escalated.
Michael Moore:Instead of manually investigating every security alert, their IT team now had AI driven automation that filtered out false positives, prioritized real threats, and provided clear actionable insights. And instead of scrambling again to contain an attack after the fact, MXDR's automated response immediately cut off access, forced a password reset, and blocked unauthorized activity before it could cause any damage. And the impact, within the first few months, they saw a 70% improvement in security response time and reduced their third party security tool costs by 40%.
Alyssa Birchfield:Wow. Michael, that's really incredible. So not only did MXDR prevent a serious data breach, but it actually simplified their security operations and saved them money too?
Michael Moore:Absolutely. They went from playing defense, always reacting to threats, to having a proactive intelligent security strategy. And that's the kind of transformation MXDR brings to SMBs.
Alyssa Birchfield:Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Perimeter Perspective. If you found this useful and want to keep up with the latest in cybersecurity and IT, don't forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.
Michael Moore:For more resources, insights, and to grab your free guide, MXDR Essentials, simplified security for modern businesses, head over to nextperimeter.com. Have a question or topic you'd like us to cover? We'd love to hear from you. Reach out on social media or email us at perspective@nextperimeter.com.
Alyssa Birchfield:Until next time, stay secure, stay informed, and remember, the perimeter isn't just a boundary, it's your foundation for growth.
Michael Moore:See you soon.