Because threats in the cyber world are constantly evolving and becoming more sophisticated, organizations must thus design robust strategies that will protect their digital assets. Two significant solutions are extended detection and response (XDR) and security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR). According to Gartner, XDR solutions can reduce threat-detection times by as much as 70 percent, and SOAR may increase the efficiency of incident response by up to 50 percent. The two just improve security operations, but in strengthening threat management and response, they differ.
The two differ, however, in their approach to security as a whole. XDR is for bringing all your security data to one location and making it easier to detect threats and respond promptly. It focuses on finding and stopping attacks before they damage. SOAR improves how your security team works, automating repetitive tasks and coordinating responses to better have the incident responses of teams.
This post will explain what XDR and SOAR are, their individual unique features and functionalities, and how both systems can substantially enhance the security posture of any organization.
What Is Extended Detection and Response?
Extended Detection and Response is a unified solution that covers the integration of various security layers including endpoints, networks, and cloud environments to provide advanced threat detection and response capabilities. XDR unifies disparate data from sources, giving a view of potential threats and allowing security teams to identify, track, and respond to incidents well. It uses advanced analytics, machine learning, and auto-response capability to improve incident handling and reduce the time required for these potential threats to be mitigated.
While XDR assists in better detection and response, the automation aspect begins to play a greater role in security operations. This introduces us to the term SOAR: Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response.
What Is Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response?
Security orchestration, automation, and response is a technology framework used to automate security operations and functions. To integrate and consolidate security tools and processes, SOAR streamlines incident response workflows and enhances collaboration among security teams.
SOAR uses predefined playbooks and automation, thus freeing teams for more strategic activities. Next, let’s compare XDR vs SOAR and see how each of these solutions works to improve security.
Difference Between SOAR vs XDR
XDR discovers threats across multiple layers of security including endpoints, networks, and cloud environments. It makes it easier to respond through automation. SOAR is where security workflows can be automated and the response coordinated using various tools. That way, the differences between either of them can help organizations make a correct choice.
XDR
With its centralized dashboard, XDR equips a security team to monitor all activities happening in endpoint, network, and cloud services in one place. This would thus allow teams real-time visibility and quickly spot any suspicious activity without having to switch between various tools.
Unlike SOAR, XDR also uses automated tools for hunting active hidden threats. It automatically identifies security measures you may otherwise ignore using machine learning and analytics. It is forward-looking in the respect that issues are caught when they are still minor problems that teams can address.
SOAR
SOAR easily integrates with many different security tools and technologies, including firewalls or antivirus programs. This integration allows security teams to better use the existing tools. So in this sense, all systems will work in harmony with one another.
Unlike SOAR, XDR does not improve team collaboration. XDR does not provide real-time communication between teams during an incident, but SOAR allows for easy information sharing and decision-making among team members in real-time. These can be accelerated response times and successful teamwork.
How do They work?
SOAR and XDR have mutual benefits. XDR gathers and ties together data from various sources of security, thus providing a whole view of all actual threats or potential threats to the organization. It then automatically responds to quickly and efficiently mitigate the threat. Then SOAR takes charge of automating the response. It applies predefined workflows for managing incidents and coordinates with integrated security tools to have a fluid and organized response to threats.
Limitations
The most critical drawback of XDR is the integrating factor that requires integration with a large amount of time and effort if integration is to be made with the existing system. It is also very troublesome to manage environments with a wide range of security tools.
Similarly, SOAR relies upon the toolkit being soundly integrated and how well its set workflows are executed. This means that if a situation does not fit the workflows created, the system may fail to react in a relevant manner.
XDR vs SOAR: Key Differences
Below are some key differences between XDR and SOAR.
| Feature | XDR | SOAR |
| Focus | Brings threat detection and response together in one place | Focuses on automation and organizing security tasks for smoother operations |
| Data Sources | Integrates data from various layers like endpoints and networks | Pulls data from many different security tools to coordinate responses |
| Response Mechanism | Responds automatically to threats based on real-time analysis | Uses preset workflows and sometimes manual inputs to manage incidents |
| Visibility | Offers a broad view across your whole security environment | Focuses on making operations more efficient and coordinated |
| Threat Management | Quickly detects and prioritizes threats | Focuses on handling and resolving incidents once they’ve been identified |
| Implementation | Takes more time to integrate into your systems since it connects with many data sources | Is easier to set up due to its modular nature |
| Scalability | Grows as your data does, handling larger amounts of information as your business expands | Scales up with additional tools and integrations, making it adaptable as you add more layers to your security setup |
| Customizability | Has fewer options for customization | Offers more room for tailoring workflows and processes to fit your team’s specific needs |
| User Interaction | Operates with minimal human involvement since it automates most responses | Involves more human decision-making as it often requires manual inputs to handle incidents |
| Operational Efficiency | Helps improve detection and response times by automating and streamlining threat management | Focuses on speeding up workflows and making security operations more effective |
XDR, SOAR, or Both? Which to Use
Using XDR vs SOAR, or a combination depends on your security needs and deployment.
XDR is perfect for bringing advanced threat detection and response to various layers, endpoints, networks, and cloud environments. The sense is that your organization would automatically want real-time threat response but with effortless security operations.
SOAR focuses on streamlining and automating security purposes. It helps to bring together many tools while coordinating responses to complex incidents. Therefore, SOAR is well suited to teams that manage many different security tools.
For many organizations, both XDR and SOAR can offer a strong solution. While XDR offers real-time threat monitoring and automated response, SOAR can assist in workflow orchestration and automation between tools. This way, security teams can react more quickly to incidents.
Ultimately, your decision depends on the scale of your operations, the level of complexity of your security environment, and whether you prefer more integrated handling of incidents.
XDR Use Cases
- Integrated visibility: XDR is ideal for organizations that need a clear view of security across both endpoints and networks.
- Automated threat response: companies that need to respond quickly to cyber threats can benefit from XDR’s automated responses.
- Improved visibility for complex environments: for businesses with complex IT infrastructures, XDR offers better visibility and the ability to pull data from various sources, enabling faster identification of hidden or sophisticated attacks.
SOAR Use Cases
- Streamlined incident response: SOAR helps businesses looking to make their incident response processes more efficient.
- Task automation and team collaboration: SOAR helps organizations automate repetitive tasks and improve their teamwork in security efforts.
Use Cases for XDR and SOAR Together
- Comprehensive security: Companies that want a complete security solution can benefit from using both XDR and SOAR, integrating threat detection with operational efficiency.
- Enhanced threat management: Organizations looking to improve their threat management and response capabilities at the same time will find value in combining both tools.
How SentinelOne Can Help?
SentinelOne provides comprehensive solutions that include XDR, endpoint protection, cloud workload protection, and advanced threat hunting. Its integrated approach enhances security across various environments, helping organizations effectively detect and respond to cyber threats.
Singularity Cloud: This solution provides a complete view of your security environment. It allows security teams to watch for potential threats in real time and connects events from different sources. By using Singularity Cloud, organizations can reduce the risk of attacks and improve their overall security. In fact, companies that use SentinelOne Cloud see a 30 percent drop in security incidents.
Singularity Endpoint: One of the best advantages of SentinelOne is its ability to automate responses to threats. The platform quickly analyzes threats and takes action without human intervention. This speeds up response times and lets security teams focus on important tasks instead of getting stuck in routine management. This is particularly useful for organizations that don’t have big security teams, making Singularity Endpoint an attractive option when considering XDR vs SOAR solutions.
Singularity XDR: This solution uses smart analytics powered by machine learning to improve threat detection. By studying normal patterns and looking for unusual activity, Singularity XDR can find new threats that traditional methods might overlook. This proactive approach helps organizations stay ahead of potential cyberattacks and strengthens their defenses. Incorporating such analytics enhances the effectiveness of both XDR and SOAR solutions.
For more insights into how SentinelOne can enhance your security framework, explore the comprehensive solutions available on the website.
Wrapping Up
XDR and SOAR are both essential for boosting an organization’s cybersecurity. XDR brings together threat detection and response by combining data from different sources, while SOAR simplifies complicated processes through automation and coordination. Whether choosing one solution or both, the main goal is the same: to enhance security, speed response times, and stay ahead of ever-changing threats.
FAQs
1. How does XDR handle false positives in threat detection?
XDR uses machine learning and advanced analytics to reduce false positives by learning from past incidents, improving accuracy over time.
2. Can SOAR integrate with legacy security systems?
SOAR platforms are designed to integrate with a wide variety of security tools, including legacy systems. This allows organizations to automate and streamline their security operations without needing to overhaul their existing infrastructure.
3. What are the deployment options for XDR?
XDR solutions can be deployed in the cloud, on-premises, or as a hybrid model.
4. How does SOAR improve compliance management?
SOAR boosts compliance by automating the documentation of incidents, creating audit trails, and making sure that security workflows meet industry standards and regulatory requirements.