For years, we’ve all been told the same thing about business security: build a strong wall. A robust firewall was your digital fortress, the moat around your castle designed to keep all the online villains out. For businesses in Hull and East Yorkshire, it felt like a solid and dependable strategy.
But the way we work has changed. Your team might be in the office, at home, or visiting a client in Beverley. Your most important data may be stored on a server in the building or in a cloud application, such as Microsoft 365. The “castle” now has a hundred different doors, and the old moat just isn’t enough to protect them all.
The uncomfortable truth is that determined attackers often find a way in. The real question isn’t just about keeping them out; it’s about spotting them the moment they enter and stopping them before they can cause any real damage. It’s time to move beyond the firewall and think about a smarter, modern layer of security.
The Cracks in the Castle Wall
Think of your old security model like a single, heavy-duty lock on your main office door. It’s great, but what happens if someone gets a copy of the key?
That’s what modern cyber-attacks are like. They often bypass the primary defences entirely. We see local firms facing threats that a simple firewall is blind to:
- Stolen Keys (Compromised Credentials): An employee might accidentally click on a clever phishing email, handing over their password. To the firewall, that hacker now appears to be a trusted member of staff, simply walking right through the front door.
- Hidden Threats (Encrypted Traffic): Most internet traffic today is encrypted for privacy, which is a good thing. The downside? Hackers can hide malicious code inside encrypted traffic, effectively smuggling it past a firewall that cannot inspect it.
- Using Your Own Tools Against You: This is a particularly sneaky tactic. Attackers gain a foothold and then use legitimate, everyday IT tools already installed on your computers (such as system administration software) to move around unnoticed. To traditional antivirus software, everything looks perfectly normal.
When you rely only on perimeter security, you’re essentially blind to anything that slips through the cracks. Have you ever wondered what’s really happening on your team’s computers day-to-day?
Your New Digital Security Guard: An Introduction to EDR
So, if the fortress wall isn’t enough, what’s the answer? The answer is to hire a security guard to patrol inside the walls. In the world of cybersecurity, this is called Endpoint Detection and Response, or EDR.
Don’t let the jargon put you off. The concept is simple.
EDR is smart software that acts like a vigilant security guard on every single one of your devices (the “endpoints”)—laptops, PCs, and servers. It doesn’t just check for known viruses like traditional antivirus. Instead, it watches for suspicious behaviour.
Think of it this way:
- Traditional Antivirus is like a bouncer with a list of known troublemakers. If someone isn’t on the list, they are allowed to enter.
- EDR is like an experienced security guard inside the building. They know what normal behaviour looks like. Suppose someone starts trying to jimmy open doors, access restricted areas, or hide suspicious packages. In that case, the guard will spot it immediately and take action, even if they’ve never seen that person before.
When EDR detects a threat, it can instantly raise the alarm and, crucially, act to contain it. For example, it can automatically quarantine an infected laptop, completely isolating it from the rest of your network so the problem can’t spread. It provides you with the visibility to identify and neutralise a threat before it leads to data theft or crippling downtime.
From Ticking a Box to Building Real Trust
For many businesses in our region, certifications like Cyber Essentials Plus are becoming increasingly vital for winning contracts and demonstrating security as a trusted partner. This is where a modern security strategy really pays off.
Obtaining the basic Cyber Essentials badge often involves a self-assessment—simply ticking a box to confirm that you have essential security measures, such as firewalls and antivirus software, in place. The advanced Plus certification, however, requires a hands-on technical audit in which testers actively attempt to identify weaknesses.
This is where EDR shines. It provides concrete, auditable proof that your defences work in the real world:
- It spots the clever attacks that auditors use, logging the attempt and the response.
- It provides an automatic audit trail, showing exactly how a threat was detected and neutralised.
- It demonstrates continuous monitoring, proving your security is an active, 24/7 process, not just a piece of software you installed once.
Adopting an EDR strategy isn’t just about passing a test; it’s about building a genuinely resilient business that your partners and customers can trust.
Security That Works for Your Business
We understand that you’re focused on running your business, not on becoming cybersecurity experts. A powerful tool like EDR is fantastic, but it can generate a lot of noise if not configured and managed correctly. The last thing you need is your IT team chasing down hundreds of false alarms.
That’s where having a local partner makes all the difference. At PrimaryTech, we don’t just sell you software. We manage it for you. We tailor the system to your specific business needs, filter out unnecessary noise, and leverage our expertise to identify threats proactively. We act as your dedicated security team, letting you focus on what you do best.
The digital landscape has changed, but protecting your business doesn’t have to be a source of stress. By moving beyond the firewall and adopting a modern, proactive approach to security, you can build a stronger, more resilient business that is ready for whatever comes next.
Published: October 17