Open Systems launches Ontinue MDR division, new MXDR service Ontinue ION

Managed security services provider Open Systems has announced the launch of Ontinue, a new managed detection and response (MDR) division. It has also unveiled a new managed extended detection and response (MXDR) service, Ontinue ION, along with a new add-on service called Managed Vulnerability Mitigation (MVM).

Ontinue ION offers advanced capabilities that enable faster detection and response, a deeper understanding of a customer’s environment and the ability to maximize Microsoft security investments for greater efficiency, according to the firm. MVM helps customers reduce risk by highlighting the vulnerabilities that pose the greatest threats via intelligence and understanding of users’ environments, Open Systems added.

The release follows research from last year that highlighted what cybersecurity professionals expect from XDR services, with prevention, detection, and response capabilities as well as entire attack surface coverage and central management/administration all high on the list.

Ontinue ION incorporates automation, Microsoft collaboration, risk-based protection

Open Systems stated that Ontinue ION brings together the cloud-native ION platform and the ION Cyber Defense Center, a 24/7 security operation staffed by experts including the company’s teams of cyber advisors and cyber defenders. The service incorporates automation, Microsoft collaboration, risk-based protection, and threat prevention, the firm added. It’s features include:

• Automated threat detection, investigation, and response to security incidents, along with semi-automated workflows to help Tier 2 and Tier 3 defenders resolve complex threats
• Real-time collaboration that allows customers to interact with their Ontinue SecOps teams through Microsoft Teams instead of a vendor portal
• Integration with customers’ Microsoft Sentinel, allowing security teams to maintain possession of their data, optimize Sentinel cost and maximize value from their Microsoft Defender suite
• Risk-based, localized protection built on an understanding of each customer’s environment, business operations, and teams
• Threat prevention practices via teams of cyber advisors and defenders

Ontinue to “differentiate Open Systems” in crowded MDR market

The Ontinue MDR division was created to help differentiate Open Systems in the crowded, noisy MDR market, Tom Corn, chief product officer at Open Systems, tells CSO. “By creating a separate business unit within Open Systems that is entirely focused on our MDR offerings, Ontinue helps us more directly target our MDR ideal customer profile. The Ontinue brand was developed to help accelerate our MDR GTM [go to market] strategy by allowing us to decouple entirely from our flagship SASE portfolio,”

Secure access service edge (SASE) and MDR are two of the fastest growing markets in cybersecurity – each devoted to solving different problems for different teams (network operations and network security, and security operations, respectively) in our customers’ organizations, he adds. “By decoupling our SASE business from our MDR business, we are able to serve our customers more effectively in two key ways: Innovation velocity and Improved service delivery.”

What do security professionals expect from XDR?

In June 2022, Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) and the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) published a report detailing the expectations security professionals have in relation to XDR platforms. Almost half of respondents said they want an XDR platform to provide threat prevention, detection, and response capabilities including controls, analytics, and response playbooks, while 42% want coverage across the entire attack surface, including endpoints, networks, data centers, cloud-based workloads, SaaS, identities, and IoT devices.

Just under a third (35%) said they want an XDR platform to provide central management and administration, with 30% citing advanced analytics including modern data pipelining, stream processing, easy detection rules engineering, and backend machine learning capabilities. Many organizations want these capabilities and a partner that can offer managed services to make everything work well in their environment.