The “bad actors” and their targets are perpetually locked in a race to one-up each other. Sometimes one side wins, and to be fairly obvious, sometimes the other side wins. The incidents happen despite a state-of-the-art SecOps setup. This happens because the rapidly evolving threat landscape enables the rise of newer types of threats. The NDR watches over endpoints, while SIEM relies on logs. Today’s more sophisticated can move between endpoints, often without triggering logs. This ability leaves dangerous blind spots that can be used to cause cyber incidents. NDR solutions help overcome this liability by watching traffic at the network level. The solutions analyze patterns, metadata, and even how devices talk to each other. This kind of visibility is crucial for spotting unusual behavior early—before things escalate. The Network Detection and Response (NDR) tools help mitigate this issue by monitoring traffic at the network level. This allows it to detect anomalies and potential breaches, based on traffic patterns, metadata, and device-to-device communication. This is a major factor behind the adoption of NDR. However, choosing a product that best suits organizational requirements can be a tedious process. Comparison of matrices for consecutive years allows the end users to check the capabilities of each major NDR vendor.
Staying ahead in 2023 and 2024
Companies that can stay in the leaders quadrant are always great choices. These companies have effective products paired with the correct go-to-market strategy and offer consumer satisfaction. The companies which have managed to stay on and improve their lead positions are Vectra AI, Trellix, DarkTrace, GroupIB, Corelight, Progress, and Extrahop.
Vectra’s Cognito platform stands out for how well it uses AI to spot threats that usually fly under the radar. It doesn’t just flood teams with alerts—it focuses on behavior and context. Security teams like it because it helps them focus on real issues without drowning in noise.
ExtraHop’s RevealX platform offers scalable data analytics capabilities to deliver real-time network visibility and threat detection. The platform is known for its ability to provide deep insights into network traffic and its integration with broader security ecosystems for enhanced threat management.
ExtraHop’s RevealX is fast and responsive. It gives you real-time insights and doesn’t buckle under pressure, even in large environments. Their focus on usability and performance is what makes them a go-to for many enterprise teams.
Group-IB brings a strong threat intel background to the table, and it shows. Their Threat Detection System uses behavior and intel to spot problems early. It’s particularly good at uncovering stealthy or targeted attacks.
If you’re a fan of open-source tech, Corelight’s a name to consider. It is built on Zeek and Suricata to create a powerful, transparent platform that gives you deep visibility into what’s happening on the network. It’s great for teams that want to dig further into the details.
Progress’s Flowmon Anomaly Detection System (ADS) platform focuses on network visibility and threat detection through its advanced analytics and monitoring capabilities. The platform is designed for scalability and effective threat management in complex network environments. The platform offers real-time threat analysis and can integrate with users’ other security tools to enhance overall network security.
Darktrace’s NDR solution is equipped with self-learning AI capabilities, which provide autonomous threat detection and response. It utilizes machine learning to model network behavior and identify anomalies indicative of cyber threats. The Darktrace solution offers real-time threat insights and automated response mechanisms, focusing on detecting novel and sophisticated threats through advanced pattern recognition.
Sophos, while not a part of the 2023 matrix, has stormed into the leaders’ quadrant. Its XG Firewall NDR solution can integrate with its broader security portfolio to provide advanced network visibility and threat detection. The solution leverages AI and machine learning to provide enhanced threat detection and automated responses.
The middle order
The strong contenders part contains some tech bigwigs. It includes Cisco, VMWare, and Fortinet. Fortinet’s FortiNDR is designed to protect against advanced threats by offering real-time monitoring and detailed threat analysis. It leverages AI and machine learning to enhance threat detection capabilities and automate responses.
Cisco’s solution integrates with Cisco’s security ecosystem to provide deep network visibility, automated threat response, and advanced analytics. It uses machine learning and behavioral analytics to detect and respond to threats, enhancing its capability to protect against sophisticated and emerging threats.
VMware’s NSX NDR solution leverages AI to provide efficient threat correlation and forensics. NSX NDR includes a Threat Analysis Unit for real-time updates on threat intelligence, including C&C servers, zero-day exploits, and malware distribution points.
Despite these capabilities, why have these companies remained stuck in the contender zone? The likeliest cause is SPARK showing the need to improve NDR capabilities and inject some more innovation into their products.
Afterword
NDR solutions need to continue evolving to address the increasing volume of encrypted traffic, expand their AI-driven capabilities, and improve integration with other security systems to provide end-to-end threat detection and response. Vendors should focus on building adaptable, scalable solutions that can operate across a variety of deployment environments—whether on-premises, in the cloud, or within hybrid infrastructures. Additionally, investing in advanced analytics and automation will help vendors stay competitive by enabling faster, more accurate detection and response to emerging threats.