For years, protecting a computer meant installing antivirus software. It scanned files, compared them against a list of known malicious samples, and blocked matches. That still has value, but modern attacks often do not look like a known bad file. They use legitimate tools, stolen passwords and commands that run in memory, which can slip past traditional scanning.
That gap is why you will increasingly hear about endpoint detection and response, or EDR. For healthcare organizations, where an infected workstation can become the first step toward a facility-wide outage, the distinction is worth understanding.
Classic antivirus relies mainly on signatures, which are fingerprints of known malware. Many products have added heuristics and some behavior checks, so the line is not rigid. But the basic model is prevention based on what is already known.
Strengths: inexpensive, familiar and good at stopping common, previously seen malware.
Limits: newer or custom malware may not match; attackers who use built-in system tools may not trigger alerts; and it offers limited visibility into what happened after something got through.
EDR software continuously records activity on each device, such as processes starting, files changing, network connections and logins, and analyzes it for suspicious behavior. When it detects something, it can alert, isolate the machine from the network, and give investigators a timeline.
Key capabilities typically include:
Behavioral detection. Flagging actions such as a word processor launching a command shell, or a program suddenly encrypting many files.
Visibility. A searchable record of what occurred on each endpoint, which helps answer "how did they get in and what did they touch?"
Containment. Isolating an infected computer remotely with one action while keeping the management connection alive.
Response tools. Killing processes, deleting files and in some cases rolling back changes.
Threat intelligence. Using information about attacker techniques to improve detection.
EDR generates alerts, and someone has to look at them. A tool that raises a warning at 2 a.m. with nobody watching provides limited protection. That is why many small and mid-size organizations pair EDR with a managed service, sometimes called managed detection and response (MDR), in which a security team monitors alerts around the clock and acts on them.
The question to ask is not just "do we have EDR?" but "who is watching it, and what happens in the first fifteen minutes of an alert?"
Ransomware attacks often unfold over days. Attackers explore the network, steal credentials and disable defenses before encrypting. Behavioral tools offer chances to catch them during that period.
Limited IT staff. Many facilities have one or two IT people at most, who cannot review logs constantly.
Documentation of incidents. If a breach occurs, activity records help determine whether PHI was accessed, which affects reporting decisions.
Insurance. Cyber insurance applications increasingly ask whether EDR is deployed and whether it is monitored.
Regulatory direction. The January 2025 HHS proposal to update the HIPAA Security Rule, which is not final, discusses anti-malware protection among other safeguards.
Does the product cover all our device types: Windows, Mac, servers and, where relevant, Linux?
Who monitors alerts and how quickly do they respond? Is it 24/7?
Can compromised machines be isolated remotely, and who can authorize it?
How will it affect performance on older computers and medication carts?
Does it work with our EMR and other clinical software without false alarms? Ask about exclusions and testing.
What reporting do we receive for compliance and insurance?
What is the business associate arrangement if the provider can view systems containing PHI?
What does the pricing include: licenses, monitoring, response hours?
Pilot on a few representative machines before deploying broadly
Work with EMR and device vendors on required exceptions
Remove old antivirus products properly, since running two can cause conflicts
Make sure every device is enrolled, then monitor for gaps
Define who has authority to isolate a computer at night, and tell nursing leadership in advance
Cover servers, not just workstations
EDR works best alongside MFA, patching, backups, email filtering and training. No single product stops everything.
UnityCare IT deploys and monitors endpoint protection for healthcare organizations, including coordination with clinical software vendors. If you are not sure what your current antivirus actually covers, we can review it with you.
Call or text: 405-285-3845
New customers: start@unitycareit.com
Existing customers: support@unitycareit.com
Address: UnityCare Technologies, 2524 N Broadway Ste 554, PMB 947974, Edmond, Oklahoma 73034-4172