Since 2020, the push for consolidating cybersecurity solutions has gained significant momentum. In 2021, Gartner highlighted vendor consolidation as one of the top security and risk trends. Their article, The Top 8 Security and Risk Trends We’re Watching, revealed that 75% of organizations were actively seeking to streamline their cybersecurity solutions by relying on fewer vendors. This trend, however, is beginning to show signs of vulnerability, and we’re witnessing the cracks in this once-promising approach.
Perhaps the biggest crack of all was the CrowdStrike outage, which disrupted 8.5 million Windows devices and spotlighted the significant risks tied to relying on a single, consolidated solution—especially in the case of Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR). Such an approach can lead to catastrophic outcomes, including business downtime, financial losses, and security breaches.
Now, as we near the second quarter of 2025, it’s critical for entities to reconsider their all-in-one cybersecurity approach, particularly when it comes to EDR.
Why EDR Alone Falls Short
EDR has been a key tool for identifying and mitigating known threats. However, as adversaries grow more sophisticated, its effectiveness has started to pall. That’s because these solutions usually depend on signature- and behavior-based detection, leaving them wide open to advanced, unknown threats like zero-day exploits, fileless malware, and in-memory attacks.
Compounding this issue is bad actors’ rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). A recent report from Deep Instinct revealed that three-quarters of security professionals experienced more frequent cyberattacks last year, with a whopping 85% of those incidents using generative AI.
EDR’s limitations in conjunction with attackers’ increasing use of AI—is a critical turning point for the industry.
Firms must shift away from narrowing their security footprint and begin eyeing a diverse defense strategy that doesn’t simply react to threats but takes a proactive, layered approach where EDR is just one part of a more comprehensive security framework.
Preempting Your Cyber Defense
Last year, Gartner emphasized that “preemptive cyber defense is the only effective defense against AI-driven threats.”
Here’s how it works. Rather than waiting for an attack to be detected, this approach eliminates threats before they turn into full-scale incidents. In contrast to traditional EDR, which reacts after an attack has begun, preemptive security solutions proactively prevent threats from executing in the first place.
Key Technologies in Preemptive Defense:
- Automated Moving Target Defense (AMTD): This technology dynamically alters system memory behavior, making it unpredictable and resistant to exploitation. Even if an attacker identifies a weakness, AMTD ensures the same method can’t be reused, preventing successful exploits.
- Adaptive Exposure Management (AEM): AEM continuously identifies vulnerabilities and mitigates them in real-time, reducing the attack surface before threats can exploit them.
Why Preemptive Security Works
Preemptive cybersecurity solutions offer a more robust defense against modern threats by:
- Stopping ransomware, fileless malware, and zero-day exploits before they have time to execute.
- Eliminating the need for signature-based updates, reducing system overhead, and improving efficiency.
- Cutting false positives, which allows security teams to focus on actual threats.
- Ensuring resilience by operating independently of cloud-based detection, even during network outages.
Enhancing EDR with Preemptive Security
EDR isn’t being cast away into a cyber-junkyard filled with outdated and ineffective security solutions but rather being integrated with preemptive cybersecurity protection solutions, adding measures to create a layered defense-in-depth approach.
This combination bolsters a company’s overall security posture, lessening the risk of breaches and operational disruptions.
The CrowdStrike outage shone a light on the risks of putting all security resources into one vendor basket and has had a catalytic effect, driving many security teams to rethink their reliance on a single security provider and explore multi-layered security architectures.
Preemptive security aligns perfectly with this shift, offering a proactive layer of defense alongside traditional EDR.
Preparing for Future Cyber Threats
As we look toward the future of cybersecurity, organizations must make changes and in doing so should prioritize the following:
- Vendor Diversification: Reducing reliance on a single vendor minimizes systemic risks and provides a more resilient security posture.
- Automated, Proactive Defenses: By implementing preemptive security measures, businesses can mitigate attack risks before they escalate into full-blown incidents.
- Operational Stability: Security solutions must continue to function efficiently both online and offline to ensure business continuity.
Cybersecurity in 2025 and beyond will be defined by those who move away from traditional, detection-based models and embrace proactive, AI-resistant defenses. In an era where AI-driven threats are on the rise, preemptive cybersecurity is not just a smart choice—it’s an absolute necessity.
Brad LaPorte is the Chief Marketing Officer at Morphisec and former Gartner Analyst.
Brad is a seasoned cybersecurity expert and former military officer specializing in cybersecurity and military intelligence for the United States military and allied forces.
The opinions expressed in this post belongs to the individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Information Security Buzz.
