NDR vs EDR: Key Differences, Pros/Cons & Using Them Together

What Are NDR and EDR? 

Network detection and response (NDR) and endpoint detection and response (EDR) are cybersecurity solutions aimed at identifying and responding to threats:

• NDR focuses on network-level monitoring and analysis, capturing data to uncover malicious activities or breaches. 
• EDR operates at the endpoint level, such as servers or PCs, enabling detection and investigation of suspicious behavior on individual devices.

Both NDR and EDR play roles in a security strategy, yet each has distinct features and applications. NDR provides a broad view of network anomalies, whereas EDR delves into endpoint-specific threats. Organizations employ these tools to address different aspects of cybersecurity, with NDR enhancing network-level visibility and EDR focusing on endpoints.

Recommended Reading: SOAR Security: 3 Components, Benefits, and Top Use Cases.

The Evolution of Cybersecurity Threats and the Need for NDR and EDR

Over the past few decades, cybersecurity threats have evolved significantly in complexity, frequency, and impact. Early threats were often limited to individual viruses or worms targeting specific systems, with attackers seeking to disrupt operations or cause general inconvenience. As technology advanced, cyber threats became more sophisticated, moving beyond simple malware to more organized and targeted attacks.

Today, threats include advanced persistent threats (APTs), ransomware, and multi-stage attacks that exploit vulnerabilities across networks and endpoints simultaneously. Attackers now use automation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to enhance their attack methods, making traditional security measures inadequate.

In response, cybersecurity solutions have evolved as well. Network detection and response (NDR) and endpoint detection and response (EDR) technologies emerged to address these modern challenges, enabling real-time detection and response capabilities across different attack vectors.

Key Differences Between NDR and EDR 

Core Functions of NDR

Network detection and response (NDR) systems focus on monitoring network traffic for suspicious activity, anomalies, and potential threats. At its core, NDR continuously analyzes both north-south traffic (traffic between internal and external networks) and east-west traffic (internal network communications) to detect lateral movement, command-and-control communications, and other network-based threats.

NDR relies on deep packet inspection (DPI) and flow data to gain visibility into the network. By using machine learning and behavioral analytics, NDR systems can identify unusual patterns, such as sudden spikes in traffic or unexpected connections to known malicious domains. Unlike traditional network monitoring tools that depend on signatures, NDR solutions can detect zero-day threats by analyzing network behaviors rather than looking for predefined attack patterns.

Another core function of NDR is integration with threat intelligence feeds. This allows the system to correlate detected network anomalies with known threat indicators, providing context and improving the accuracy of threat detection. NDR tools typically generate detailed reports and visualizations to help security teams investigate and respond to potential incidents.

Core Functions of EDR

Endpoint detection and response (EDR) systems focus on monitoring and managing security events that occur on endpoints, such as laptops, servers, and mobile devices. The primary function of EDR is to collect data on processes, file modifications, network connections, and user activity on individual devices to detect and respond to malicious behavior.

EDR solutions use agents installed on endpoints to provide real-time visibility and protection. These agents continuously collect telemetry data, which is analyzed for signs of compromise, such as unauthorized file changes, suspicious network connections, or unusual application behavior. By applying behavioral analysis and machine learning, EDR can detect known and unknown threats, including advanced persistent threats (APTs) and fileless malware that traditional antivirus solutions may miss.

A key function of EDR is the ability to automate response actions. For example, if malicious activity is detected, the EDR system can isolate the affected endpoint, stop harmful processes, or quarantine suspicious files, minimizing the spread of the attack. EDR also provides forensic capabilities, allowing security teams to investigate incidents in detail, track the origin of the attack, and determine the scope of its impact.

Tips from the expert

Steve Moore is Vice President and Chief Security Strategist at Exabeam, helping drive solutions for threat detection and advising customers on security programs and breach response. He is the host of the “The New CISO Podcast,” a Forbes Tech Council member, and Co-founder of TEN18 at Exabeam.

In my experience, here are tips that can help you better integrate and use NDR and EDR:

Correlate NDR and EDR alerts for precision: By correlating anomalies detected by NDR with EDR endpoint data, you can significantly reduce false positives. Use threat intelligence platforms to enrich the data from both, enhancing the accuracy of your detection capabilities.

Leverage NDR for encrypted traffic monitoring: Given that encryption limits NDR’s visibility, deploy techniques like traffic analysis or TLS termination points to monitor encrypted data. This can expose hidden threats without decrypting the entire traffic, thus maintaining compliance.

Automate NDR and EDR workflows: Integrate automation between NDR and EDR platforms to ensure faster response times. For example, have NDR trigger endpoint isolation in EDR when suspicious lateral movement is detected in the network, streamlining your incident response.

Monitor IoT devices with both NDR and EDR: Use NDR to monitor IoT devices that cannot host traditional EDR agents. Many attacks target IoT endpoints for entry into the network, so integrating NDR for such devices ensures comprehensive security.

Utilize EDR to investigate NDR detections: When NDR flags anomalous traffic, use EDR’s forensic tools to track the root cause of the anomaly at the endpoint. This helps in understanding the entire attack chain from the network down to device-level processes.

Advantages and Limitations of NDR 

Advantages:

• Visibility across the entire network: NDR monitors both north-south and east-west traffic, making it effective at detecting lateral movement by attackers who have already breached the perimeter. This wide scope of monitoring allows NDR to uncover hidden or stealthy threats that may not be apparent through endpoint monitoring alone.
• Real-time detection of unknown threats: NDR’s reliance on machine learning and analytics to detect unusual network behaviors enables it to detect unknown or zero-day threats by identifying anomalies, rather than relying solely on signatures or predefined attack patterns.
• Integration with threat intelligence platforms: this enhances detection capabilities by correlating network activity with known malicious indicators. Its passive monitoring approach allows deployment without interfering with existing network operations, minimizing the risk of disruption.

Limitations:

• Dependence on network traffic data: Its effectiveness depends heavily on the quality and quantity of network traffic data available. If encrypted traffic dominates the network, NDR may struggle to analyze the data effectively without decryption capabilities, potentially missing crucial indicators of an attack.
• High volumes of data and alerts: NDR can also generate high volumes of data and alerts, leading to alert fatigue if not properly tuned or paired with automated response tools. Its ability to identify threats is limited to network-level events, which means it may miss attacks or compromise activities that occur solely at the endpoint level.
• Complex deployment and management: NDR solutions can be complex to deploy and manage, often requiring specialized expertise to ensure proper configuration and continuous tuning for optimal performance.

Advantages and Limitations of EDR 

Advantages:

• Granular visibility into individual devices: EDR excels at providing in-depth data on processes, applications, and file executions. This enables security teams to quickly identify and respond to suspicious activities on specific endpoints, useful for detecting malware, ransomware, or other endpoint-focused attacks.
• Automated responses: A key strength of EDR is its ability to offer automated responses. When suspicious behavior is detected, EDR platforms can immediately isolate the affected device, quarantine files, or terminate malicious processes, often without requiring manual intervention. This rapid response minimizes potential damage from attacks and can stop threats before they spread.
• Forensic capabilities: EDR solutions also provide forensic capabilities. By recording detailed endpoint activity logs, security teams can conduct root cause analyses, understanding how the attack started, which systems were impacted, and how to prevent similar attacks in the future. These investigation tools make EDR an essential component in incident response and post-breach analysis.

Limitations:

• Lack of network-wide visibility: The main limitation of EDR is that it focuses exclusively on endpoints, meaning it lacks visibility into network-wide activities. This narrow scope may cause it to miss attacks that leverage the network for lateral movement or that primarily operate outside of endpoint environments, such as attacks targeting IoT devices or cloud infrastructure.
• Alert fatigue risk: Like NDR, EDR can generate large volumes of alerts, leading to the risk of alert fatigue. If not properly configured or integrated with other security systems, it can overwhelm security teams with false positives or low-priority alerts.
• Resource-intensive: EDR also tends to be more resource-intensive, requiring endpoint agents to be installed on each monitored device. These agents can sometimes impact system performance, and maintaining them across a large number of devices may present operational challenges for organizations with limited resources.

How NDR and EDR Complement Each Other 

While network detection and response (NDR) and endpoint detection and response (EDR) have distinct roles, their combined use offers a more comprehensive cybersecurity approach. NDR provides wide-reaching visibility into network traffic, detecting threats that may move laterally or remain hidden within encrypted data flows. In contrast, EDR offers deep insight into endpoint-specific activities, identifying malware or exploits directly targeting individual devices.

Together, these tools create a multi-layered defense strategy. NDR detects threats that span across the network, such as lateral movement or command-and-control communications, while EDR can zero in on specific endpoints to contain and remediate threats at the device level. 

By integrating both, security teams can correlate network-level anomalies with endpoint activity, gaining a more complete understanding of an attack’s scope. This dual approach enhances incident detection, accelerates response times, and strengthens overall threat mitigation by covering both the network and device perspectives.

Integrating NDR and EDR for Enhanced Security 

Assessing Your Organization’s Needs

Determining your organization’s specific security requirements is a critical first step before implementing NDR and EDR solutions. Conduct an assessment of your current security posture, identifying gaps and areas where these solutions could offer the most benefit. Consider the types of assets needing protection, such as sensitive data, networks, or endpoints.

A risk assessment can further inform which solution aligns better with organizational goals. Understand the nature of typical threats faced, and prioritize them based on impact potential.

Selecting the Right Tools

Choosing the right NDR and EDR tools involves evaluating options that best align with your security needs and organizational structure. Consider solutions that offer flexibility, scalability, and compatibility with existing systems. Evaluate vendors based on their track records, support services, and ability to integrate seamlessly with current security frameworks.

Functionality is another crucial factor; ensure the tools provide coverage for identified threats and vulnerabilities. Tools should offer intuitive interfaces and real-time data analysis for quick deployment and actionable insights. Emphasize solutions with strong threat intelligence capabilities, ensuring they evolve alongside the changing threat landscape to remain effective.

Staff Training and Awareness

Effective deployment of NDR and EDR tools hinges on staff training and awareness. Employees must understand how these solutions function and their role in maintaining security standards. Regular training sessions can demystify complex concepts, ensuring staff can utilize tools proficiently and adhere to security protocols.

Security awareness initiatives should extend beyond technical training to encompass broader organizational policies and best practices. Encourage a culture of vigilance where employees feel empowered to report anomalies or suspicious activities. Ongoing education and awareness enhance the overall security posture, minimizing human errors and fostering proactive cybersecurity engagement.

Emerging Technologies: XDR and Beyond 

As cybersecurity threats continue to evolve, technologies that integrate and extend existing solutions like NDR and EDR are emerging. Extended detection and response (XDR) is one such advancement. XDR takes a holistic approach by combining multiple security layers, including networks, endpoints, servers, and cloud environments, into a unified platform. Unlike NDR and EDR, which focus on specific areas of the security infrastructure, XDR provides a centralized system to detect, analyze, and respond to threats across the entire attack surface.

XDR offers several advantages over traditional NDR and EDR. It consolidates threat data from various sources, allowing for more comprehensive threat detection and investigation. By leveraging AI and automation, XDR systems can reduce response times and improve detection accuracy through deeper correlation and analysis of security events. This approach helps security teams detect complex, multi-stage attacks that may go unnoticed by isolated tools.

Beyond XDR, other emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence-driven security analytics and secure access service edge (SASE), are also reshaping the cybersecurity landscape. AI and machine learning are increasingly used to enhance threat detection by identifying patterns and behaviors that human analysts might miss. SASE, on the other hand, integrates networking and security functions, delivering security at the edge for organizations with distributed workforces and cloud-based infrastructure.

As organizations adopt these emerging technologies, the integration of NDR, EDR, and XDR—along with AI and SASE—offers a more cohesive and proactive defense strategy, ensuring robust protection against today’s sophisticated cyber threats.

Exabeam Platform Capabilities: SIEM, UEBA, SOAR, Insider Threats, Compliance, TDIR

The Exabeam Security Operations Platform applies AI and automation to security operations workflows for a holistic approach to combating cyberthreats, delivering the most effective threat detection, investigation, and response (TDIR): 

• AI-driven detections pinpoint high-risk threats by learning normal behavior of users and entities, and prioritizing threats with context-aware risk scoring. 
• Automated investigations simplify security operations, correlating disparate data to create threat timelines. 
• Playbooks document workflows and standardize activity to speed investigation and response. 
• Visualizations map coverage against the most strategic outcomes and frameworks to close data and detection gaps. 

With these capabilities, Exabeam empowers security operations teams to achieve faster, more accurate, and consistent TDIR.