Next-Gen Antivirus (NGAV) for SMEs: What It Is and How It Differs from EDR

If you're still running a traditional antivirus that mainly checks files against known virus definitions, in 2026 you're exposed to most of the attacks that actually hit Dutch SMEs. Ransomware groups such as Akira, LockBit derivatives and Black Basta stopped relying on known malware files long ago; they use PowerShell scripts, legitimate system tools and stolen credentials. Traditional antivirus doesn't see any of that. Next-gen antivirus (NGAV) is the modern successor, and together with EDR it forms the layer SMEs genuinely need today. This guide explains what NGAV is, how it differs from EDR, and when to make the switch.

What is next-gen antivirus (NGAV)?

Traditional antivirus compares the files on your laptop with a database of known malicious signatures. If it recognises the signature, it raises an alarm; if it doesn't, nothing happens. Until around 2018 that worked reasonably well, because most malware was scripted, packaged and recognisable. In 2026, most malware is unknown at the moment it strikes: attackers deploy small variants, use fileless techniques (where nothing is written to disk) or do everything through existing system tools such as PowerShell, WMI and Task Scheduler. Signature scanning sees nothing.

NGAV solves this by looking not at what a file is, but at what it does. A modern NGAV agent relies on a combination of:

• Machine learning and AI to recognise suspicious patterns in new files and scripts without needing a signature first.
• Behavioural analysis of processes: which program is trying to encrypt 1,000 documents, which process is injecting code into another legitimate process, which browser extension has suddenly started reading all your passwords.
• Cloud intelligence: real-time information about campaigns currently running against thousands of other customers worldwide.
• Exploit prevention: techniques that specifically stop memory attacks and the abuse of existing software.

Research by CrowdStrike shows that 82% of modern detections are malware-free (no file involved) and that attackers start moving towards their real target within an average of 29 minutes of gaining an initial foothold. Without behavioural detection, you don't see those first 29 minutes.

How exactly does it differ from traditional antivirus?

Traditional AV reacts to files. A download comes in and either matches a list of known bad signatures or it doesn't. NGAV acts proactively on behaviour. A script that opens a suspicious number of documents, encrypts them and talks to an external server is stopped, whether or not it is known.

The practical difference for SMEs:

• Fileless and PowerShell attacks: traditional AV is blind, NGAV raises the alarm.
• Zero-day malware (newly written today): traditional AV is blind, NGAV will probably flag it based on behaviour.
• Legacy Office macros trying to send something out: traditional AV is often blind, NGAV blocks it.
• Ransomware encrypting many files at once: traditional AV is often too late, NGAV picks up the pattern immediately and can trigger a rollback.

This isn't theory. In 2025, more than 2,100 Dutch organisations were hit by ransomware, a 31% increase on the previous year. Meanwhile, around half of businesses report having experienced a cyberattack in the past year. It's not a question of "if", but "when". Our guide to ransomware protection for SMEs goes deeper into what goes wrong when it happens.

How does it differ from EDR?

NGAV and EDR are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same thing. They complement each other.

NGAV prioritises prevention. The agent tries to stop malicious behaviour before it causes damage: block the process, quarantine the file, kill the session.

EDR prioritises visibility and response. The agent records everything that happens on the endpoint, every second, and stores it centrally. If something slips through (because no prevention layer is 100% effective), you have a video recording of what happened: which files were touched, which processes were started, which servers were contacted. That makes three things possible:

1. Forensics after an incident: knowing exactly what was taken and what wasn't.
2. Automated response: isolating infected endpoints immediately without manual intervention.
3. Threat hunting: proactively searching for stealthy threats that have survived the prevention layer.

Our separate explanation of EDR for SMEs goes deeper into detection and response. In practice, in 2026 you don't choose NGAV without EDR, or the other way round; modern endpoint security suites bundle them under one agent and one dashboard.

Which SMEs really need NGAV?

The short answer: anyone still running only a traditional, signature-only solution today. In more practical terms:

• Small businesses (2 to 20 employees) with all their data in Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace: NGAV on every laptop is the minimum level of hygiene. Add EDR if you process customer data or fall under GDPR supervision.
• Mid-sized businesses (20 to 100 employees) with their own file server or a hybrid cloud: NGAV plus EDR, plus central monitoring through your IT partner. See also our cybersecurity checklist for SMEs.
• SMEs in critical sectors (healthcare, finance, notaries, law firms, transport, critical suppliers) or under NIS2: NGAV plus EDR plus 24/7 monitoring through a SOC or an MDR service.

Which solutions should you choose in the Netherlands?

There are three categories you'll come across as an SME, with the caveat that "plain Windows Defender" in 2026 is already considerably better than it was in 2020.

Microsoft Defender for Business. Part of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, available in the Netherlands from around €2.38 per user per month as a standalone licence, or included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium (around €22 per user per month). It includes NGAV plus AI-driven EDR with automatic attack disruption. For SMEs already on Microsoft 365, this is the logical choice thanks to its integration with Intune, Entra ID and the rest of Microsoft's security portfolio.

Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security. Strong in AV tests (99.9% malware protection in AV-Comparatives 2025), reasonably SME-friendly in price (indicatively around €3 to €6 per endpoint per month), and it integrates NGAV and EDR, with a path to XDR.

SentinelOne Singularity or CrowdStrike Falcon. High-end EDR platforms that are pushing up from the mid-market. Powerful ransomware rollback, strong threat intelligence, a higher price (indicatively €8 to €15 per endpoint per month for the EDR tier), and often only worthwhile if you have an IT partner who manages the platform properly.

What to avoid in 2026: free consumer antivirus on business devices, and packages that only do signature scanning without behavioural analysis. If your supplier can't answer the question "how do you detect fileless PowerShell attacks?", it isn't next-gen.

What it costs and where the gains are

Roughly speaking, a modern endpoint solution for SMEs in 2026 costs between €3 and €15 per endpoint per month, depending on whether you take NGAV only or NGAV plus EDR plus threat hunting. For an SME with 25 employees and 25 endpoints, that's €75 to €375 per month. That is less than the cost of a single day of downtime in a ransomware incident, not to mention the liability of a data breach under GDPR.

The gains come from prevention plus faster detection:

• Ransomware is stopped at the first file it tries to encrypt, not the thousandth.
• Stolen credentials used on a laptop from a suspicious country immediately trigger isolation.
• Fileless attacks become visible instead of going unnoticed.
• After an incident you have a timeline, not an empty log file.

Remember that NGAV and EDR are only effective in combination with the rest of the basics: MFA on every account, solid endpoint management with MDM, timely patching, offsite and immutable backups, and security awareness among employees. An expensive agent on an unpatched laptop belonging to someone who has just clicked a phishing link can do a lot, but it can't work miracles.

How we implement it at TRON

When we roll out NGAV and EDR for an SME client, we do it in the order that causes the least pain and delivers the most:

1. Baseline assessment: which agents are currently running on which endpoints, servers and file servers.
2. Pilot on 5 to 10 endpoints across different roles (management, sales, development, accounts).
3. Policy configuration: which attacks are blocked automatically, which only trigger an alert, and which devices are allowed to run certain tools.
4. Rollout in waves, with communication to employees so the helpdesk isn't swamped.
5. Monitoring and tuning: eliminating false positives, adjusting alert thresholds, setting up threat hunting.
6. Incident plan: a link to a SOC or MDR partner, so someone is watching what the agent reports 24/7.

That way you get prevention and visibility without your employees giving up on their laptops because "that program blocks everything".

Frequently asked questions about NGAV and EDR

Can I use Windows Defender from Microsoft 365 as my NGAV? Yes. Microsoft Defender for Business in Microsoft 365 Business Premium delivers NGAV plus AI-driven EDR under one agent, and is a good choice for most SMEs. Standalone Windows Defender (the free version on Windows Home) is not the same: it lacks central reporting, advanced policies and EDR capabilities. For business use you need the Business edition.

What is the difference between NGAV and EDR in one sentence? NGAV stops attacks before they cause damage (prevention), while EDR sees and records what happens on the endpoint so you can respond if something gets through (detection and response). Modern endpoint suites bundle both under one agent.

Should I keep my old antivirus alongside NGAV? No. Two AV solutions on one endpoint get in each other's way, cause performance problems and sometimes even false negatives. Remove the old antivirus before installing NGAV, or let the installer do it (Defender for Business can automatically remove third-party AV and take over).

What does NGAV plus EDR cost for an SME in 2026? Roughly between €3 and €15 per endpoint per month, depending on whether you choose an integrated suite (Defender, Bitdefender) or a premium platform (SentinelOne, CrowdStrike), on the number of endpoints, and on whether you add threat hunting. Always ask for a quote per endpoint, because per-user pricing sometimes hides hardware such as servers that has to be paid for separately.

Is NGAV enough, or do I also need a SOC? For most SMEs, NGAV plus EDR on the endpoints, combined with alerts going to their IT partner or MSP, is enough. If you fall under NIS2 or face a higher risk (finance, healthcare, critical suppliers), you can also bring in an outsourced SOC or MDR service that picks up the alerts 24/7.

Won't NGAV block legitimate software? Sometimes it will; we call those false positives. With a good rollout you eliminate them in the first few weeks through tuning: exclusions for your specific industry software, allowlists for internal tools, behavioural rules for your administrative macros. After a few weeks the balance is right.

Conclusion

In 2026, traditional signature-only antivirus is an outdated lock on a building where attackers no longer come through the front door. Next-gen antivirus (NGAV) closes that gap by looking at behaviour instead of files, and together with EDR it delivers the visibility and response you need when something does get through. For an SME, a modern endpoint suite such as Microsoft Defender for Business or Bitdefender GravityZone, at around €3 to €8 per endpoint per month, is the foundation layer beneath your entire cybersecurity strategy.

TRON Group helps Dutch SMEs choose, roll out and monitor modern endpoint solutions day to day: from Microsoft Defender in existing Microsoft 365 environments to Bitdefender, SentinelOne or a 24/7 MDR service for those who need heavier protection. Want to know whether your current AV is still good enough, or whether it's time for NGAV plus EDR? Call +31 85 303 5869 or take a look at our managed IT services. We'll review the risks together and put the foundations of your endpoint security in place in the right order.