Key Criteria for Evaluating Network Detection and Response (NDR) Solutionsv1.0

1. Summary

Network detection and response (NDR) is an advanced cybersecurity approach that focuses on detecting and responding to threats within a network environment. By combining network traffic analysis, behavior monitoring, and threat intelligence, NDR solutions provide real-time visibility into network activities and identify potential security breaches in increasingly complex environments.

As a complement to other detection tools, NDR is a modern security solution for mitigating the risk of advanced cyberattacks, such as advanced persistent threats (APTs), data exfiltration, lateral movement, malware activity, and ransomware. Traditional security solutions—such as firewalls and antivirus software—are insufficient to address sophisticated attacks that evade perimeter defenses. NDR fills this gap by actively monitoring network traffic and analyzing patterns and anomalies that may indicate malicious activity, enabling organizations to detect and respond to threats promptly and reducing the dwell time of attackers within the network to mitigate potential damage.

Vendors continuously evolve their NDR solutions to keep pace with the rapidly changing threat landscape. New techniques include metadata-based analysis and unsupervised machine learning algorithms to provide holistic visibility, detect unknown threats, improve accuracy, and reduce false positives. These solutions can analyze large volumes of network data in real time, identifying patterns indicative of advanced threats such as zero-day exploits, lateral movement, and data exfiltration. In addition, many NDR solutions incorporate threat intelligence feeds and integrate with other security tools to enhance their capabilities.

As threats continue to evolve, decision-makers must carefully evaluate NDR solutions based on their network’s needs, and on the solution’s scalability, detection capabilities, and ease of use to effectively protect their organization’s critical assets.

This GigaOm Key Criteria report details the capabilities (table stakes, key criteria, and emerging technologies) and non-functional requirements (evaluation metrics) for selecting an effective NDR solution. The companion GigaOm Radar report identifies vendors and products that excel in those capabilities and metrics. Together, these reports provide an overview of the category and its underlying technology, identify leading NDR offerings, and help decision-makers evaluate these solutions so they can make a more informed investment decision.