Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

Definition

Endpoint detection and response is security software that continuously records process, file, network, and identity activity on each endpoint, detects attacker behavior rather than only known malware signatures, and lets a responder isolate the machine, kill processes, and roll back changes remotely. It replaced antivirus as the baseline control because modern intrusions use legitimate tools and stolen credentials that signatures never see.

Why it matters to an MSP

EDR is the control that turns a ransomware event from a rebuild-everything disaster into a contained incident on one or two machines. The behavioral telemetry catches the hours or days of reconnaissance, credential theft, and lateral movement that precede encryption, and network isolation stops the spread while you investigate – which is why incident response starts with EDR alerts and the console is your primary evidence afterward.

Commercially it is table stakes. Cyber insurance questionnaires ask for EDR on every endpoint by name, and a client without it faces premium hikes or declination; your own carrier asks the same of you. It belongs in every managed agreement's security baseline, deployed alongside the RMM agent on day one of onboarding, with coverage gaps (missing or unhealthy agents) reported at every network assessment and QBR. Typical MSP pricing as of 2026 is $3–8 per endpoint monthly, easily absorbed by a per-seat fee.

The catch is that EDR generates alerts someone has to read around the clock. A two-person shop cannot triage a 2 a.m. detection, so most pair it with MDR – a vendor SOC that watches the telemetry and takes first response – and sell the pair as the security tier. Buy it direct rather than through a bundle you cannot exit, and never let a client exclude it "just for the servers."

Related terms: MDR, Endpoint, SOC, Ransomware