How long should an EDR PoV take?

Standard is 4-6 weeks at 50-200 endpoints across diverse user profiles + OS mix. Run the same threat scenarios + business workflows across all candidates. Servnet runs free PoVs for UK customers — we get paid only on deployment.

Can I run two EDRs side-by-side?

Not on the same endpoint — they conflict. You CAN run different EDRs across different OS groups (Defender on Windows, SentinelOne on Linux) during transition. Most migrations complete in 4-8 weeks.

How long does EDR rollout take?

500-2,000 endpoints: 4-8 weeks total. Phase 1: deploy to 50 pilot endpoints + tune (2 weeks). Phase 2: SCCM / Intune mass deployment (2-4 weeks). Phase 3: decommission legacy AV (1-2 weeks). See our migration playbook.

How to choose an EDR platform: a 7-question framework for UK IT teams

Most UK organisations evaluating EDR end up shortlisting CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Sophos, and Microsoft Defender XDR — the four we cover in our head-to-head. But the right answer isn't about features, it's about operational fit. This is the 7-question framework we use with every Servnet customer.

EDR shortlist in 3 questions

Question 1 — Are you already paying for Microsoft 365 E5?

If yes: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 + Defender XDR are included. Marginal cost = £0. Capability has closed dramatically — for most mid-market UK organisations, this is the rational default unless specific gaps drive a third-party purchase.

If no: the cost-of-ownership maths changes. CrowdStrike + SentinelOne + Sophos all become competitive vs adding E5 just for EDR.

Question 2 — Do you have a 24/7 SOC, or do you need managed detection?

You have an in-house 24/7 SOC + Tier 2/3 analysts: any of the four EDRs work. Choose on feature + price.

You don't: pair the EDR with managed detection. CrowdStrike Falcon Complete, SentinelOne Vigilance Respond, Sophos MDR are all credible. Or third-party MDR on top of any EDR — see our MDR services.

Question 3 — What's your ransomware threat model?

High-target (FS, healthcare, legal, public sector): pick the platform with best ransomware rollback + detection. SentinelOne Singularity leads on autonomous rollback; CrowdStrike leads on cloud-correlated detection.

Standard target (most mid-market): all four sufficient. The ransomware-defence stack (backup immutability + EDR + email + identity) matters more than the EDR choice in isolation.

Question 4 — Linux + Mac + cloud workload coverage required?

Heavy Linux estate: SentinelOne (eBPF agent) leads. CrowdStrike + Sophos competent. Defender for Endpoint Linux still maturing.

Heavy macOS: CrowdStrike + SentinelOne + Sophos all strong. Defender for Endpoint Mac trails.

Cloud workload protection: CrowdStrike Cloud Security + SentinelOne Singularity Cloud + Defender for Cloud all credible. Sophos cloud is weakest.

EDR evaluation — what to score

Question 5 — Single agent for everything, or specialist tools?

Sophos Intercept X wins here. Single agent covers EDR + DLP + encryption + server protection + email + firewall management. For SMB-to-mid-market consolidating from 4-5 tools, this is genuine differentiation.

CrowdStrike + SentinelOne are single-agent but each module is a separate SKU.

Question 6 — What's your team's skill set?

Microsoft-trained team operating Defender / Sentinel / Intune: Defender XDR + Sentinel SIEM = lowest-friction path. Same console, same KQL.

Mixed Linux + cloud + on-prem team: CrowdStrike or SentinelOne. Vendor-neutral consoles with broad coverage.

SMB team without dedicated security headcount: Sophos. Operational simplicity beats feature depth.

Question 7 — Budget envelope per endpoint per year?

Under £25/endpoint/year: Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 standalone or Sophos.

£25-50: SentinelOne Singularity Complete + Sophos Intercept X Advanced.

£50-100: CrowdStrike Falcon Enterprise + SentinelOne Singularity XDR + Sophos XDR.

£100+: CrowdStrike Falcon Complete (managed) + SentinelOne Singularity Complete + Vigilance Respond.

Servnet negotiates net UK pricing typically 25-40% off list.