Traditional EDR solutions are no longer sufficient on their own, as they leave blind spots in modern, complex IT and OT environments. Network Detection and Response fills this gap by analyzing network traffic between systems, enabling the detection of anomalies and attack techniques that bypass endpoint protection. Greycortex is recommended by 4Prime engineers due to its transparency, full IT/OT visibility, and advanced detection mechanisms based on behavioral analysis and machine learning. It supports SOC teams by providing reliable, historical network context that accelerates incident analysis and reduces false positives. With a structured deployment process and effective handling of common concerns such as cost, alert noise, and encrypted traffic, Greycortex serves as a strong foundation for proactive and scalable cybersecurity operations.

The Role of NDR in the Security Architecture

A modern approach to cybersecurity requires supplementing traditional tools. Although Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) plays a key role in protecting organizations, it has three major limitations that we regularly encounter among our customers:

First, it operates only where an agent can be installed, which creates blind spots in the infrastructure.

Second, EDR does not cover the full range of devices such as IoT, OT, routers, firewalls, switches, or even industrial control systems (ICS).

Third, attack techniques that are capable of bypassing or even disabling EDR systems are becoming increasingly common.

And this is precisely where Network Detection and Response (NDR) plays a crucial role. While EDR provides insight into what is happening on endpoints, NDR analyzes all traffic between them, detecting anomalies in network communication and correlating data from multiple network traffic sources.

Greycortex, as a leader in this segment, emphasizes that real-time network communication analysis makes it possible not only to detect attacks but also to correlate them with other security data sources, such as firewall logs or SIEM systems. This synergy creates full visibility, which is the foundation of the SOC Visibility Triad concept.

It is precisely the ability to build complete visibility—from endpoints to network traffic—that makes the SOC Visibility Triad–based strategy the standard today for organizations that treat cybersecurity strategically.

Greycortex Through the Eyes of Our Engineers – Why Do We Recommend This NDR?

From the perspective of our engineering team, Greycortex has one feature that clearly sets it apart from the competition: transparency.

Many NDR products hide their detection rules. This is a significant problem for analysts, because without knowledge of the exact rule syntax, both event analysis and security rule modification consume valuable time. Greycortex prioritizes transparency by providing visibility into the detection rules delivered by the system. This allows us to precisely tune the solution to the specific characteristics of a given organization, which is absolutely critical for us. It also enables us to effectively minimize the number of generated false positives.

Greycortex also provides full visibility—from endpoints, through servers, to OT systems. By deploying it, we are able to monitor the most sensitive areas where installing agents is impossible. From a technical team’s perspective, it is also important that Greycortex delivers full visibility across any IT/OT environment.

Thanks to advanced monitoring engines, the system offers threat detection mechanisms based on machine learning and behavioral models of the environment.

In the process of monitoring network traffic, Greycortex uses numerous advanced techniques such as event correlation enabling predictive protection, network flow analysis, and deep packet inspection. This allows detection of threats such as malware or ransomware already at the network flow level—often inaccessible to traditional endpoint agents.

Full Network Traffic Visibility – Benefits and Key Challenges

Among cybersecurity engineers, one often hears the phrase: “You can only protect what you can see.” There is a lot of truth in this statement: the more network traffic we are able to aggregate and analyze, the broader our understanding of an organization’s security posture.

The key challenge when deploying Greycortex is the initial identification and aggregation of traffic from all critical points. That is why our first step in any NDR deployment is a thorough understanding of the network architecture, followed by identifying the systems and network segments that must be monitored without exception.

Only then is it possible to implement system components for the previously defined points. Next, real-time traffic analysis is launched, taking into account the purchased license and analysis capacity—whether via hardware or a virtual machine. The more traffic that can be captured and analyzed, the greater the chance of detecting previously unknown threats and vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers.

Important note: Full visibility does not guarantee the complete absence of attacks or threats, but it significantly increases the likelihood of rapid detection and containment before serious damage occurs.

How Does Greycortex Support SOC Teams in Faster Incident Analysis?

The cooperation between NDR (Network Detection and Response) and EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) systems significantly accelerates and simplifies the work of SOC (Security Operations Center) teams.

For example, if malware appears on a host, NDR can provide historical network data showing how the malware entered the network, which IP address it communicated with, and whether it moved laterally within the infrastructure. This network data is critical because, unlike system logs—which can be deleted or manipulated by attackers—it is practically impossible to remove.

Greycortex Deployment Step by Step – What Can You Expect?

Deploying an NDR solution is a multi-stage process that requires proper preparation and expert support. A key success factor is choosing an experienced partner who provides not only technological expertise but also strategic guidance.

At 4Prime, we divide this process into several stages.

Before deployment, meetings are held during which we agree on key points and identify the most critical areas to monitor.

Next, we select appropriate hardware to be installed at strategic network locations to ensure full visibility.

The installation process itself usually takes several days. Once completed, the system begins collecting data and learning the environment in which it has been deployed.

After at least one week—once Greycortex has gathered sufficient data—we begin the tuning phase. During joint sessions with the customer, we eliminate false positives and fine-tune the system to the organization’s specifics, ensuring that critical security events are not excluded.

The Most Common Customer Concerns When Choosing an NDR System

In discussions with customers, three main issues are raised most often before purchasing Greycortex: costs, false positives, and visibility into encrypted traffic. Let’s look at each of them individually.

Costs

Budget is often a sensitive point when investing in NDR systems. Concerns include not only the purchase price but also system maintenance and deployment complexity. However, our experience shows that proactive action—early detection and containment of threats—is always significantly less costly than dealing with financial and organizational losses after a successful attack. Greycortex enables a high level of security with investments that, from a business perspective, represent an investment in stability and business continuity.

False Positives

This is the bane of most SOC teams. An excess of irrelevant alerts can paralyze operations and divert attention. Within the SOC360 team, we focus on transparency and the ability to fine-tune detection rules, allowing us to reduce false positives to a minimum. The result? The team can focus on real threats.

Encrypted Traffic

Increasingly, customers ask how we handle monitoring encrypted communications. Greycortex does not require packet decryption—it analyzes metadata and behavioral patterns. If a customer uses a decryptor or proxy, we can redirect already decrypted traffic and gain full visibility into HTTP protocol headers, which further increases detection effectiveness.

If you would like to learn more about Network Detection and Response and see how to best tailor this solution to your organization’s needs – contact us.

This article was prepared by a 4Prime expert and subsequently edited with the support of artificial intelligence tools.