Managed Detection and Response (MDR) for UK Businesses

MDR exists because most UK SMEs cannot staff a security team around the clock. You get the people, process and tooling of an enterprise security operations centre as a fixed monthly service. It is the active-defence layer of our wider managed cybersecurity offering, sitting on top of prevention controls to catch what slips through.

How does AMVIA's MDR service work?

AMVIA's MDR runs as a four-stage loop: assess your environment, deploy detection, monitor and hunt 24/7, then contain confirmed threats. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint feeds telemetry to our 24/7 SOC, where UK analysts triage every signal and act on real attacks — not raw alerts.

• Environment assessment — we map your endpoints, network, and Microsoft 365 estate to set the right detection coverage.
• Sensor deployment — lightweight Defender agents stream telemetry from your devices and identity logs to our platform.
• Threat detection and hunting — analysts monitor alerts 24/7, correlate events, and proactively hunt for indicators automated rules miss.
• Response and containment — confirmed threats are isolated, accounts disabled, malware removed, and your team briefed with full incident detail.

Because the detection engine is Microsoft Defender for Business — not a bolt-on third-party agent — there is no rip-and-replace. We monitor the security tooling already built into your Microsoft licences. See Microsoft's own documentation on Defender for Endpoint for how the underlying detection works.

What's included in managed detection and response?

Every AMVIA MDR engagement bundles continuous monitoring, expert management, and clear reporting into one accountable service. You are not buying a dashboard — you are buying outcomes delivered by named UK engineers who know your environment.

• Proactive protection — continuous monitoring and threat detection to stop incidents before they bite.
• Expert management — UK-based engineers handle configuration, tuning, updates, and live incident response.
• Regular reporting — monthly reports on security posture, incidents handled, and prioritised improvements.
• Dedicated support — direct access to your account team, with critical issues responded to in under one hour.

For threats that reach the device, MDR pairs naturally with endpoint detection and response (EDR); when an incident is confirmed, our incident response playbooks take over.

Why do UK SMEs need MDR?

UK SMEs need MDR because attackers operate outside office hours and prevention alone is not enough. Detection without a human response is just noise. The numbers show how routine breaches have become — and how expensive the ones you miss can be.

• 43% of UK businesses experienced a cyber breach or attack in the last year (DSIT Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025).
• 85% of those breaches involved phishing (DSIT 2025).
• £3,550 was the average cost of the most disruptive breach to UK businesses (DSIT 2025).
• 22% of breaches began with compromised credentials as the initial vector (Verizon DBIR 2025).
• The global median ransomware demand fell 34% year on year to about $1.32 million (~£1.04m) in 2025 (Sophos 2025), with roughly 19,000 UK businesses hit by ransomware in the past year.

The National Cyber Security Centre publishes ongoing guidance on these cyber threats and consistently recommends 24/7 detection and response for organisations that cannot absorb downtime. AMVIA delivers exactly that, backed by 24/7 security monitoring.

MDR vs EDR vs SIEM: what's the difference?

MDR, EDR and SIEM solve overlapping problems at different layers. EDR is the sensor on the device. SIEM is the log-correlation engine. MDR is the managed service — the analysts and process that turn both into stopped attacks. SMEs without a security team get the most value from MDR.

For a deeper breakdown, read our MDR vs EDR comparison.

How much does MDR cost?

AMVIA prices MDR per user per month on a fixed, predictable basis — no hidden charges for alert volume or incident response actions. This puts enterprise-grade security operations within reach of a 10–500 staff business without the cost of hiring a full in-house team.

Set that monthly fee against the downside: with a global median ransomware demand of about $1.32 million (~£1.04m) in 2025 (Sophos 2025) and a £3,550 average disruptive-breach cost (DSIT 2025), MDR is a fraction of the financial impact of a single undetected intrusion. We scope exact pricing to your user count and environment during a free assessment.