In the last blog we explored why Network Detection and Response (NDR) has become essential for IT managers — especially those operating with blind spots across internal traffic and unmanaged systems. But with NDR gaining traction, the number of solutions claiming to offer it has grown quickly.
So how do you separate substance from hype?
This article breaks down the key attributes of a strong NDR platform — not marketing promises, but actual capabilities that make a difference in real-world environments.
1. Passive, Deep Traffic Inspection
At the heart of any NDR solution is its ability to see and analyse everything on your network. That means:
- Full-packet or metadata inspection of both north-south and east-west traffic.
- Ingestion from SPAN ports, taps, NetFlow, or packet brokers.
- Protocol-level visibility — even for encrypted or non-standard protocols.
It must handle traffic from IoT devices, unmanaged laptops, virtualised workloads, and everything in between. If it only sees what a firewall or endpoint sees, it’s not NDR — it’s duplication.
2. Behavioural Analytics and Machine Learning
Signature-based detection alone doesn’t cut it anymore. The best NDR platforms use supervised and unsupervised machine learning to:
- Establish baselines of “normal” activity.
- Detect deviations that indicate compromise — even if no known malware is involved.
- Adapt over time to reduce false positives in your unique environment.
Look for systems that detect lateral movement, beaconing patterns, and misuse of legitimate tools like RDP, SMB, or PowerShell.
3. Real-Time Anomaly Detection and Alerting
Time is critical in cybersecurity. Effective NDR doesn’t just log events — it spots suspicious activity as it happens. Prioritised alerts based on severity and confidence scores help your team focus on the most urgent threats. Bonus points if it maps anomalies to MITRE ATT&CK techniques — helping you understand tactics and guide investigation.
4. Integration With Your Existing Security Stack
NDR is most powerful when it connects with the tools you already rely on:
- SIEM for correlation and reporting.
- SOAR for automated response.
- Firewalls and NAC for containment.
- Threat intel feeds for enrichment.
Open APIs, syslog exports, and native integrations should be available — especially for automated quarantining, device identification, or forwarding to your SOC tools.
5. Threat Classification, Not Just Detection
Good NDR tells you more than “something is wrong.” It should:
- Identify the nature of the attack (e.g., ransomware, downloader, coinminer).
- Show the timeline — initial compromise, lateral movement, exfiltration.
- Group related events into scenarios to simplify investigation.
The goal isn’t just detection. It’s understanding. IT managers need clarity — not just another alert.
6. Enriched Device Context
An effective NDR system doesn’t just show IP addresses and ports — it should:
- Pull identity and hostname data from Active Directory.
- Categorise devices by type (e.g., printer, IoT, server).
- Enrich detections with user and application context.
This context turns an abstract alert into a meaningful action. Instead of “192.168.3.44 is beaconing,” you get: “Finance-laptop03 is communicating with a known command-and-control domain.”
7. Support for Operational Technology (OT)
If your organisation includes industrial control systems, building management tech, or any air-gapped environments, your NDR must:
- Understand OT protocols.
- Detect threats without relying on external cloud connections.
- Be deployable fully on-premises.
This is especially important for government, manufacturing, healthcare, and critical infrastructure.
Effective NDR platforms aren’t defined by branding — they’re defined by what they help you see and do. Ask these questions when evaluating NDR solutions:
- Does it help me see inside the network — not just at the edges?
- Can it detect unknown threats based on behaviour, not just signatures?
- Does it help me respond faster — or just alert me faster?
In the next blog, we’ll explore how a well-implemented NDR platform can transform your security operations — even without a large SOC team behind it.