EDR vs Antivirus: What is the Difference?
Antivirus still has a role for known commodity malware. But it is not sufficient alone. Modern attacks routinely evade signature-based detection, which is why EDR has become the new baseline.
Do I need both EDR and antivirus?
Most modern EDR products include signature-based detection as one of several layers. So you typically replace antivirus with EDR, rather than running both.
Can EDR replace antivirus?
Yes. Microsoft Defender for Business, SentinelOne, and CrowdStrike all include traditional antivirus capabilities alongside behavioural EDR. One agent does both jobs.
How fast does EDR respond?
Modern EDR responds in seconds. Suspicious processes are killed, devices are isolated from the network, and tickets open automatically for the security team to review.
What if EDR misses something?
Layered defences cover the gaps: secure email, MFA, backups, and user training reduce the chances of any single failure leading to disaster.
Quick answers.
Is antivirus still useful?
Antivirus still has a role for known commodity malware. But it is not sufficient alone. Modern attacks routinely evade signature-based detection, which is why EDR has become the new baseline.
Do I need both EDR and antivirus?
Most modern EDR products include signature-based detection as one of several layers. So you typically replace antivirus with EDR, rather than running both.
Can EDR replace antivirus?
Yes. Microsoft Defender for Business, SentinelOne, and CrowdStrike all include traditional antivirus capabilities alongside behavioural EDR. One agent does both jobs.
How fast does EDR respond?
Modern EDR responds in seconds. Suspicious processes are killed, devices are isolated from the network, and tickets open automatically for the security team to review.
What if EDR misses something?
Layered defences cover the gaps: secure email, MFA, backups, and user training reduce the chances of any single failure leading to disaster.
Have a specific situation in mind?
Book a free 30-minute scoping call with a Northstar IT engineer. We will walk through your environment, your questions, and what good looks like for your team.
Get a Free Assessment More guides