The Top 11 Managed Detection And Response (MDR) Solutions
Discover the best managed detection and response solutions. Compare threat monitoring, detection and response.
Written by Joel Witts
Technical Review by Craig MacAlpine
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Managed Detection and Response (MDR) solutions provide organizations or IT service providers with automated threat detection and response to help them better defend against cyberattacks. This normally comprises both technical features such as threat monitoring, automated remediation, analytics, and threat intelligence; but also, human expertise, with a team of security experts and engineers available to help analyze incidents and lead the response to security breaches.
MDR solutions are designed to automatically detect threats that enter your network, such as ransomware, and remediate against it automatically where possible. They also provide visibility and analytics into the attack to help you better protect against similar breaches in the future. This is aided by the human expertise a strong solution will provide; technical experts can look into the causes of data breaches and give recommendations to your own security team to improve processes in the future.
As rates of sophisticated cyberattacks continue to skyrocket, these solutions are becoming increasingly important, especially for enterprises and IT service providers responsible for ensuring the security of a large amount of sensitive data. The solutions help to offload the burden of cybersecurity from your internal to experienced experts with leading tools designed to protect networks and systems. They act as a Security Operations Centre (SOC) for companies without the capability to operate one in house, or work to complement your existing team.
They key features of MDR solutions can be broken into three areas: detection, including 24/7, continuous monitoring of your network and endpoints to look for possible signs of data breach; response, which includes automated responses to breaches and mitigation recommendation from human experts; and, finally, analytics comprising of information on your network and data on breaches if they do occur.
Here is our shortlist of the top MDR solutions, based on our research into technical features, including threat hunting, analytics and response, customer feedback, and market presence.
ESET PROTECT MDR is ESET’s fully managed cybersecurity solution tailored for small to mid-sized enterprises. It integrates endpoint security, file server protection, and extended detection and response (XDR) capabilities, supported by ESET’s global expert team.
Why We Picked ESET PROTECT MDR: We appreciate its comprehensive approach to cybersecurity, combining endpoint protection with XDR and premium 24/7 support. The solution leverages machine learning and cloud-based analysis for robust malware and ransomware defense.
ESET PROTECT MDR Best Features: Key features include endpoint protection with machine learning and cloud-based analysis, extended detection and response (XDR) with threat-hunting services, file server security, full disk encryption, and multi-platform compatibility. Integrations support deployment on major PC, Mac, and smartphone operating systems, both in the cloud and on-premises.
What’s great:
- Comprehensive endpoint protection and XDR capabilities
- 24/7 global premium support
- Effective against malware and ransomware
- Multi-platform compatibility
Pricing: For detailed pricing, contact ESET directly.
Who it’s for: ESET PROTECT MDR is ideal for small to mid-sized enterprises seeking a holistic cybersecurity solution with robust endpoint protection, XDR, and premium support.
Heimdal is a Danish cybersecurity provider offering AI-backed solutions to over 15,000 global customers. Their managed XDR (MXDR) service provides comprehensive IT estate protection, including malware defense, vulnerability management, and business email compromise detection.
Why We Picked Heimdal: We like Heimdal’s use of predictive AI to anticipate and map threats using the MITRE ATT&CK framework, ensuring effective remediation and clear reporting. Their 24/7 SOC team manages threat detection and response operations, combining human expertise with AI.
Heimdal MXDR Best Features: Features include malware protection, vulnerability management, business email compromise detection, predictive AI threat detection, MITRE ATT&CK mapping, and comprehensive network visibility. Integrations cover endpoints, users, servers, and networks.
What’s great:
- Predictive AI enhances threat detection and response
- Comprehensive coverage across the entire IT estate
- Experienced 24/7 SOC team manages operations
- Clear reporting and notifications
- Customizable plans to meet unique business needs
Pricing: Contact Heimdal directly for pricing information.
Who it’s for: Heimdal’s MXDR solution is best suited for small to medium-sized organizations requiring robust security managed by a knowledgeable SOC team.
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RocketCyber
RocketCyber, a Kaseya company, delivers a managed detection and response service that leverages its Threat Monitoring Platform to detect malicious activity across endpoints, networks, and cloud environments. The platform is operated by cybersecurity experts who proactively hunt threats, triage detections, and collaborate on remediation when actionable threats are found.
Why We Picked RocketCyber: We like RocketCyber’s extensive threat hunting capabilities, utilizing 17 hunt test methodologies to detect advanced threats. Its integration with existing security systems enhances overall cybersecurity posture without additional hardware.
RocketCyber Best Features: The platform includes real-time monitoring of Windows, macOS, Linux, firewall, network device, and Office 365 & Azure AD cloud events. It offers a built-in app store for purpose-built detection apps like breach detection and event log monitoring. The solution aligns detections with the Mitre ATT&CK framework, supports multiple deployment options, and integrates with existing EDR, anti-virus, firewall, and email security solutions. Admins can view threat intelligence feeds, and detected threats are fed into existing MSP ticketing systems with detailed remediation advice.
What’s great:
- Proactive threat hunting with 17 methodologies
- Real-time monitoring across multiple platforms
- Seamless integration with existing security solutions
- Detailed remediation advice in MSP ticketing systems
- No additional hardware required
Pricing: For detailed pricing, visit RocketCyber directly.
Who it’s for: RocketCyber is best suited for MSPs and businesses looking for a robust, cloud-based managed detection and response solution that integrates with existing security systems.
RocketCyber
UnderDefense Managed Detection and Response (MDR) is a cybersecurity service that focuses on predicting, preventing, detecting, and responding to malicious activities. With an emphasis on cloud security and support for major cloud platforms, it aims to enhance cyber resilience and protect critical digital assets.
Why We Picked UnderDefense MDR: We appreciate the service’s 24/7/365 protection and its proactive threat hunting capabilities, which detect sophisticated attacks before they occur.
UnderDefense MDR Standout Features: Key features include continuous monitoring, automated incident response, advanced forensics, and a customized approach to cybersecurity. Integrations support multiple SIEM platforms, SOAR, and various cloud security setups. Additional capabilities encompass vulnerability and compliance management, dark web monitoring, offensive security, and security hardening.
What’s Great:
- Comprehensive 24/7/365 protection
- Proactive threat hunting detects advanced attacks
- High-powered automation streamlines incident response
- Tailored cybersecurity strategies for each client
- Supports a wide range of platforms and tools
Pricing: For detailed pricing, contact UnderDefense directly.
Best suited for: UnderDefense MDR is ideal for businesses of all sizes, from global multinationals to small and mid-market enterprises, seeking a comprehensive and customized cybersecurity solution.
ThreatLocker® CyberHero® MDR is a managed detection and response service that provides 24/7/365 monitoring and expert-led threat management. It enhances the capabilities of the ThreatLocker® Detect EDR solution by leveraging telemetry data to detect and respond to cyber threats in real time.
Why We Picked ThreatLocker® CyberHero® MDR: We appreciate the service’s rapid response time of less than 60 seconds and its comprehensive threat analysis by the CyberHero® team, ensuring effective incident management.
ThreatLocker® CyberHero® MDR Best Features: Key features include real-time threat detection using telemetry data from all agents, automatic alerts for unusual behavior, detailed threat data analysis, and incident response following pre-set rulebooks. It integrates seamlessly with the ThreatLocker® ZeroTrust Endpoint Protection Platform, enhancing application and network controls.
What’s great:
- Rapid response time of less than 60 seconds
- Expert analysis to distinguish genuine IoCs from false positives
- Comprehensive threat data provided with alerts
- Customizable incident response policies to manage alert fatigue
- Strong application and network control features
Pricing: For detailed pricing, contact ThreatLocker® directly.
Who it’s for: ThreatLocker® CyberHero® MDR is ideal for organizations seeking a comprehensive managed suite to prevent malware and ransomware, particularly those already using ThreatLocker® Detect EDR.
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Arctic Wolf Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
ArcticWolf Managed Detection and Response (MDR) is a comprehensive managed security solution that provides 24/7 threat monitoring across networks, endpoints, and cloud environments. It integrates with existing technology stacks to offer detailed threat analysis and workflow customization to prevent future attacks.
Why We Picked ArcticWolf MDR: We appreciate ArcticWolf’s holistic view of assets and the proactive 24/7 monitoring that detects anomalous activities. The dedicated Concierge Security Team significantly reduces false positives and provides strategic guidance to enhance security posture.
ArcticWolf MDR Best Features: Key features include continuous monitoring for threats, integration with existing tech stacks, detailed threat analysis, customizable workflows, and incident response. The platform also offers deployment support and strategic security guidance from the Concierge Security Team.
What’s great:
- 24/7 monitoring reduces response time to threats
- Integration with existing systems for a unified view
- Concierge Security Team reduces false positives
- Customizable workflows optimize security posture
- Strategic guidance fills internal skill gaps
Pricing: For detailed pricing, contact ArcticWolf directly.
Who it’s for: ArcticWolf MDR is best suited for mid to large enterprises that require effective threat detection and strategic security guidance as an extension of their own security team.
Arctic Wolf Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
CrowdStrike Falcon Complete
CrowdStrike Falcon Complete is a market-leading Managed Detection and Response (MDR) solution that combines endpoint security with expert intelligence. It offers comprehensive protection against known and unknown threats through continuous monitoring and real-time network visibility.
Why We Picked CrowdStrike Falcon Complete: We like its 24/7/365 protection and the integration of AI and machine learning for automatic threat detection. The OverWatch team provides skilled threat hunting and remediation.
CrowdStrike Falcon Complete Best Features: Features include antivirus protection, Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), continuous managed threat hunting, real-time network visibility, and automatic threat detection via AI and machine learning. The OverWatch team enhances threat hunting and remediation. The solution deploys in minutes and integrates seamlessly with other platforms via APIs. The centralized dashboard provides a contextual overview, automatically triages, and prioritizes threats for fast remediation.
What’s great:
- 24/7/365 protection against all threats
- Lightweight and easy deployment
- Advanced threat hunting capabilities
- Excellent support
- Automatic scaling for organizations of all sizes
Pricing: For detailed pricing, contact CrowdStrike directly.
Who it’s for: CrowdStrike Falcon Complete is ideal for organizations across all industries seeking advanced endpoint security combined with expert intelligence.
CrowdStrike Falcon Complete
Huntress
Huntress is a leading Managed Detection and Response (MDR) provider, offering a comprehensive solution designed for IT service providers to protect small and mid-sized businesses against persistent foothold attacks and ransomware.
Why We Picked Huntress: We like Huntress for its focus on SMBs with under 1,000 users and its “ransomware canary” feature, which enables faster and earlier detection of ransomware threats.
Huntress Best Features: Key features include 24/7 threat hunting, automated threat detection with human intelligence, one-click remediation, endpoint and antivirus management, and comprehensive analytics. The solution integrates easily with existing systems, supported by an intuitive dashboard, clear metrics, and incident reporting.
What’s great:
- Effective threat hunting with minimal user intervention
- One-click remediation for swift threat response
- Comprehensive analytics with human analysis and expertise
- Easy setup and deployment
- Robust set of integrations
Pricing: For detailed pricing, contact Huntress directly.
Who it’s for: Huntress is best suited for small and mid-sized businesses with under 1,000 users and limited or no existing security teams, particularly those struggling with ransomware threats.
Huntress
Rapid7 Managed Detection and Response Services
Rapid7 Managed Detection and Response (MDR) delivers comprehensive cybersecurity protection by detecting advanced threats, stopping attackers before they strike, and enhancing security programs. This solution offers a multi-layered approach that includes user and attacker behavior analytics, endpoint detection, and a Security Operations Center (SOC) that extends your team’s capabilities.
Why We Picked Rapid7 MDR: We value Rapid7 MDR’s advanced environment visibility and endpoint detection, which provide deep insights into potential threats. Its integration of user and attacker behavior analytics allows for early threat detection and response.
Rapid7 MDR Best Features: Key features include user behavior analytics for establishing healthy activity baselines, attacker behavior analytics for early threat identification, endpoint detection, network traffic analysis, file integrity monitoring, centralized log management, deception technology to identify malicious behavior, and automation for increased efficiency. Integrations include a Security Operations Center (SOC) that works as an extension of your team.
What’s great:
- Advanced environment visibility and endpoint detection
- User and attacker behavior analytics for early threat detection
- Deception technology to identify malicious behavior quickly
- Centralized log management for streamlined investigations
- SOC support to extend your team’s capabilities
Pricing: For detailed pricing, contact Rapid7 directly.
Who it’s for: Rapid7 MDR is ideal for businesses of all sizes looking to strengthen their security posture, stop potential attackers, and stay ahead of emerging threats with a managed detection and response solution.
Rapid7 Managed Detection and Response Services
ReliaQuest GreyMatter
ReliaQuest GreyMatter is a comprehensive XDR solution designed to enhance enterprise threat detection and response. It leverages extensive threat intelligence and machine learning to provide automated, customized security measures across an organization’s network.
Why We Picked ReliaQuest GreyMatter: We appreciate GreyMatter’s ability to integrate vast amounts of threat data and deliver real-time, actionable insights tailored to specific business environments. Its automated threat detection and response capabilities significantly speed up remediation processes.
ReliaQuest GreyMatter Best Features: Key features include holistic threat detection and response, machine learning-powered automation, real-time business risk overview, highly specific alerting, and integrated attack simulations. Integrations span across various business applications, enhancing existing SOC operations with seamless compatibility.
What’s great:
- Customized threat detection and response rules accelerate remediation
- Real-time monitoring of business risk enhances security posture
- Highly specific alerting focuses on high-priority incidents
- Integrated attack simulations measure security effectiveness
- Powerful reporting and monitoring capabilities
Pricing: For detailed pricing, visit ReliaQuest directly.
Who it’s for: ReliaQuest GreyMatter is best suited for enterprise organizations seeking to bolster their cybersecurity with advanced, automated threat detection and response capabilities, complementing their existing SOC teams.
ReliaQuest GreyMatter
SentinelOne Vigilance Respond MDR
SentinelOne is a leading security solution for endpoints, cloud environments, and data centers, offering a unified platform for threat detection, protection, response, remediation, and forensics. Its Singularity XDR endpoint protection platform is widely recognized for rapid remediation of endpoint threats.
Why We Picked SentinelOne: We like SentinelOne’s Vigilance Respond MDR and MDR Pro services, which offer 24/7 threat monitoring and an industry-leading mean time to respond (MTTR) of just 18 minutes.
SentinelOne Best Features: Features include active threat hunting, alerting and remediation guidance, incident-based triage and hunting, ongoing reporting, and security assessments. The Pro version adds digital forensics and malware investigation tools. Integrations include compatibility with SentinelOne’s AI-based endpoint detection and XDR engines.
What’s great:
- Industry-leading MTTR of 18 minutes
- 24/7 threat monitoring by an in-house team of experts
- Comprehensive threat detection and response capabilities
- Straightforward deployment process
Pricing: For detailed pricing, visit SentinelOne directly.
Who it’s for: SentinelOne is a leading MDR solution suitable for teams of all sizes seeking autonomous protection backed by a top technical team.
SentinelOne Vigilance Respond MDR
FAQs
Everything You Need To Know About Managed Detection and Response (FAQs)
Managed detection and response (MDR) are outsourced, specialized cybersecurity services, which use combination of machine learning, artificial intelligence, edge computing, and human intelligence to discover and remediate against cyber-threats. MDR services connect organizations to highly trained IT staff who can help to monitor, analyze, and respond to incidents and anomalies in their network.
The best MDR providers implement a wide range of advanced tools as well as offer highly skilled and trained staff to be able to monitor, detect, prioritize, investigate, and remediate threats appropriately and effectively. They utilize artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to automate network scanning and threat detection, and to reduce the overall number of alerts. The human side of MDR consists of threat hunters, data analysts, security analysts, and more to provide specialized insight and problem–solving expertise, to help analyze threats and implement the most efficient, effective incident response workflows.
A Managed Detection And Response (MDR) solution gives you comprehensive threat detection and remediation capabilities, managed for your organization by a team of security experts. When choosing an MDR solution to partner with, there are some key features to consider:
- Threat hunting and alert prioritization
- Information analysis, triage, and reporting
- Automatic, facilitated, and managed remediation options
- 24/7 Support team on-hand
- Vulnerability insights
The main reason for deploying an MDR solution is to quickly identify and remove network threats. Because of this, threat hunting, alerting, information triage, and managed threat remediation is extremely important. Choosing an MDR is also about finding the right partner for your business, so it’s also important to consider the credibility of the managed service, your organization’s specific requirements and scale, and of course the cost of the MDR solution.
Threat Hunting: Perhaps the most crucial task completed by MDR services is threat hunting. MDR services proactively seek out potential and emerging known and unknown threats. They aggregate activity data from a wide variety of sources—such as logs, events, endpoints, and user behavior—and analyze that data for vulnerabilities and indicators of active threats. This continuous, extensive approach to threat hunting makes MDR particularly adept in finding advanced and sophisticated threats, such as zero-day malware.
The round-the-clock threat hunting also helps for threats to be discovered and responded to far quicker, meaning the issue can be solved much faster, thereby reducing its overall impact. MDR solutions can also perform dark web monitoring, target- and risk-based threat hunting, Digital Asset Monitoring, and domain registration monitoring.
Data Collection: In order for MDR services to stay one step ahead of the curve, they need to aggregate a lot of data from a wealth of sources to provide detailed forensics about all threats–both new and old. MDR services collect data from assets, user behavior, events, files, logs, endpoints, and any other network activity. They also consult heavily with shared lists on known and emerging threats, and often will regularly trawl the dark and deep web to detect if company information is being misused at any point. This data collection isn’t just stored and left, however; MDR staff also use it for research.
Threat Intelligence: For MDR teams to be able to respond to threats as appropriately and as quickly as possible, they rely heavily on threat intelligence. Threat intelligence pertains to the data that is collected, processed, and analyzed to learn and understand a particular attacker’s target, motive, behavior, and patterns of attack. This information is analyzed to help SOC and MDR teams further understand how threat actors operate, helping them in turn to make quicker and more informed responses to (and anticipate) threats and develop prevention strategies.
Incident Analysis: MDR solutions provide companies with access to a team of experts who meticulously research incidents as they occur, allowing for them to prioritize threats and assess what the best course of action is to respond to an attack and devise guided responses.
Incident Response: And of course, it’s no good just to have a highly skilled and full kitted out team to just deliver extensive reporting and analysis. MDR services also provide incident response, either through immediate automated response from tools that nip emerging threats in the bud or through a team analyzing and remediating more sophisticated threats that need a pair of human eyes on them. The organization experiencing the breach will be notified and supplied with a root cause analysis and remediation recommendations and toolkits to solve the problem, with some MDR services actually remediating the breaches themselves.
Generally, the quicker the responses to incidents, the greater the reduction in the overall impact a threat can have on a network.
Security Monitoring: MDR services, in addition to threat hunting and responding to said threats, can also be proactive in the actual prevention of attacks. They offer vulnerability management, pointing out to organizations where security may be lacking and offering solutions to patch these oversights. They, of course, also perform dedicated, constant security monitoring of an organization’s network perimeter, network activity, endpoints, and more.
The tools, staff, and capabilities that make up the framework may vary between solutions, but there are some critical features that you need to look out for when choosing an MDR provider:
Adaptability: Good MDR services tend to not overcomplicate things. Rather than tearing out your security architecture and building something from scratch, MDR services tend to make things more manageable by building on what you already have. If appropriate solutions aren’t in place, then MDR services can help you to devise and build your security framework. Most MDR services also have a range of deployment options, covering on-prem, cloud, hybrid, and public environments.
Visibility: Coverage and insights into network activity need to be not only in depth but wide reaching, leaving no stone unturned. MDR services should be applied to every single part of the network, regardless of whether it’s cloud to on-prem, from behind a data center to every single endpoint.
MDR solutions pull data and analytics from every reach of the network and all their threat intelligence from a variety of sources. Good MDR services should provide organizations all of this within a single, intuitive, and clean dashboard that is easy to navigate and understand.
Round-The-Clock Monitoring: Attacks come from all angles and at all hours. MDR revolves around constant detection, investigation, and response. Cyberthreats don’t sleep and neither do MDR services; MDR provides 24/7/365 analysis and response, making sure that organizations are protected at all times. This round-the-clock support is delivered by robust, automated tools that actively hunt for threats and remediate them where they can when no human input is necessary, and a team that covers all hours of the day.
Alongside these benefits, MDR services also bring valuable insights and extensive reporting to the table that wouldn’t necessarily be available from just automated reports or from an in-house team. They can also help devise custom responses to incidents, ensuring a more targeted and effective approach to remediation.
Written By
Joel Witts is the Content Director at Expert Insights, meaning he oversees all articles published and topics covered. He is an experienced journalist and writer, specialising in identity and access management, Zero Trust, cloud business technologies, and cybersecurity. Joel is a co-host of the Expert Insights Podcast and conducts regular interviews with leading B2B tech industry experts, including directors at Microsoft and Google. Joel holds a First Class Honours degree in Journalism from Cardiff University.
Technical Review
Craig MacAlpine is CEO and founder of Expert Insights. Before founding Expert Insights in August 2018, Craig spent 10 years as CEO of EPA cloud, an email security provider acquired by Ziff Davies, formerly J2Global (NASQAQ: ZD) in 2013, which has now been rebranded as VIPRE Email Security. Craig has extensive experience in the email security industry, with 20+ years of experience helping organizations to stay secure with innovative information security and cyber security solutions.