Top Managed Security Service Providersin 2026

Choosing an MSSP is a long-term bet. This ranking weighs Optiv, Trustwave, Arctic Wolf, Critical Start and IBM X-Force on coverage, response SLAs and expertise.

20

Managed Security Services Ranked

20

Vendors

Last Updated

October 9, 2026

Choosing an MSSP is a long-term bet. This ranking weighs Optiv, Trustwave, Arctic Wolf, Critical Start and IBM X-Force on coverage, response SLAs and expertise.

Not sure which to pick? See the top 3 side by side: Trustwave Managed Security Services, Guardz, Arctic Wolf Managed Detection and Response.

Compare the top 3
#1 Top Rank
Editorial #1 ChoiceManaged Security Services
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Trustwave logo
Chicago, Illinois, USA2,000+

Trustwave Managed Security Services: threat hunting. Built for breach response and incident response readiness. Compare Managed Security Services alternatives.

SOC-as-a-ServiceBreach responseIncident response readinessCompliance monitoring

Deployment

Cloud

Integrations

Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Defender, Splunk +4

Target Users

Financial Services, Healthcare, Government, Retail, Hospitality

Enterprise Ready:Compliance: Supports PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR and SOX requirements
#2 Runner Up
MDR (Managed Detection & Response)
Free TrialContact Vendor
Guardz logo
Guardz
byGuardzVerified
Miami, Florida, USA201-500

Guardz is an all-in-one cybersecurity & MDR platform for MSPs. It helps with Managed Security through 24/7 MDR. Explore features and compare MDR alternatives.

MDREndpoint SecuritySecurity OperationsEmail SecurityManaged Security

Deployment

SaaS, Cloud

Integrations

Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, ConnectWise +2

Target Users

MSPs, SMBs, Distributed Workforces, Healthcare, Professional Services

Enterprise Ready:SSO ReadyRBACREST APICompliance: SOC 2 Type II; ISO 27001; GDPR; HIPAA
#3 Ranked
MDR (Managed Detection & Response)
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Arctic Wolf logo
Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA1,001-5,000

Arctic Wolf Managed Detection and Response: MITRE ATT&CK mapping and proactive threat hunting. Built for 24/7 SOC threat monitoring. Compare MDR alternatives.

24/7 SOC threat monitoringRansomware incident containmentProactive adversary huntingStrategic security posture reviews

Deployment

SaaS, Cloud

Integrations

Microsoft Defender, Sentinel, CrowdStrike +5

Target Users

Mid-market, Enterprise, Healthcare, Finance, Education, Manufacturing, Financial Services, Legal, Technology

Enterprise Ready:SSO ReadyRBACREST APICompliance: SOC 2 Type II; HIPAA; PCI DSS; GDPR
#4
Managed Security Services
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HPE logo
Spring, Texas, USA60,000+

See what HPE Managed Security offers: threat intel. It is built for continuous SOC monitoring, supports cloud deployment and competes with other MDR tools.

Continuous SOC monitoringRansomware incident containmentRegulatory compliance auditingProactive threat hunting

Deployment

Cloud, Hybrid

Integrations

Microsoft Sentinel, Splunk, CrowdStrike +2

Target Users

Financial Services, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Energy, Public Sector, Government

Enterprise Ready:SSO ReadyRBACREST APICompliance: SOC 2 Type II; ISO 27001; PCI-DSS; HIPAA; NIST
#5
MDR (Managed Detection & Response)
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Critical Start logo
Plano, Texas, USA201-500

Looking for MDR software? Critical Start MDR by Critical Start provides human-led triage and MobileSOC alerts for threat detection. Compare features and alternatives.

Alert fatigue reductionRapid incident containment24/7 SOC escalationThreat detection

Deployment

Cloud, Hybrid

Integrations

CrowdStrike, Microsoft Defender, Sentinel +3

Target Users

Cross-industry, Mid-market, Enterprise, Healthcare, Banking, Retail, Technology

Enterprise Ready:SSO ReadyRBACREST APICompliance: SOC 2 Type II; ISO 27001; PCI DSS; HIPAA
#6
MDR (Managed Detection & Response)
Free TrialContact Vendor
ReliaQuest logo
Tampa, Florida, USA1,001-5,000

ReliaQuest GreyMatter: MITRE ATT&CK mapping and continuous security validation. Built for unified security operations. Compare Security Operations alternatives.

Unified security operationsAutomated cross-tool incident responseEDR/SIEM telemetry correlationContinuous detection validation

Deployment

SaaS, Cloud, Hybrid

Integrations

Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, CrowdStrike +4

Target Users

Financial Services, Healthcare, Retail, Technology, Manufacturing, Energy

Enterprise Ready:SSO ReadyRBACREST APICompliance: SOC 2 Type II; ISO 27001; GDPR; HIPAA; NIST CSF
#7
Incident Response
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CrowdStrike logo
Austin, Texas, USA5,000+

CrowdStrike Incident Response: rapid breach containment and cloud-speed sensor deployment. Built for executive crisis advisory. Compare Incident Response alternatives.

Enterprise breach containmentRansomware crisis managementRoot-cause digital forensicsExecutive crisis advisory

Deployment

Cloud

Integrations

CrowdStrike Falcon Platform, Falcon Forensics, Splunk +1

Target Users

Banking, Healthcare, Government, Retail, Global Enterprise, Cross-industry, Energy

Enterprise Ready:SSO ReadyRBACREST APICompliance: SOC 2 Type II; ISO/IEC 27001; DFIR industry certifications
#8
Vulnerability Management
Free TrialContact Vendor
Fortra logo
Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA3,000+

Shortlisting Vulnerability Management tools? Fortra Vulnerability Management by Fortra brings risk-based scoring, with hybrid deployment. See strengths and alternatives.

Continuous vulnerability managementPCI-DSS compliance scanningExternal exposure assessmentRisk-prioritized patching

Deployment

SaaS, Cloud, Hybrid

Integrations

ServiceNow, Jira, Splunk +2

Target Users

Healthcare, Financial Services, Manufacturing, Retail, Public Sector, Higher Education

Enterprise Ready:SSO ReadyRBACREST APICompliance: PCI-DSS ASV Certified; ISO 27001; SOC 2; HIPAA; NIST
#9
Managed Security Services
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Optiv logo
Denver, Colorado, USA2,000+

Optiv Managed Security Services from Optiv focuses on 24/7 SOC. Key capabilities: SOC analysis. Compare it with the leading Managed Security Services alternatives.

Managed Security ServicesMDRSecurity Operations24/7 SOC

Deployment

Cloud

Integrations

Splunk, Sentinel, CrowdStrike +1

Target Users

Enterprise, Mid-Market, Education

Enterprise Ready:SSO ReadyRBACREST APICompliance: SOC 2 Type II; ISO 27001; PCI-DSS; HIPAA
#10
MDR (Managed Detection & Response)
Contact Vendor
Expel logo
Herndon, Virginia, USA500+

Get the facts on Expel Managed Detection and Response: one-click containment. Built for automated containment. Compare it with other MDR options before you decide.

24/7 cloud managed detection and responseKubernetes threat defenseAutomated containment

Deployment

SaaS, Cloud

Integrations

AWS, Azure, GCP +4

Target Users

Cross-industry, Tech, Finance, Healthcare, Retail

Enterprise Ready:SSO ReadyRBACREST APICompliance: SOC 2 Type II; ISO 27001; HIPAA; PCI-DSS
#11
MDR (Managed Detection & Response)
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Red Canary logo
Denver, Colorado, USA500+

Red Canary Managed Detection and Response: 24/7 threat hunting and raw telemetry correlation. Built for 24/7 managed detection and response. Compare MDR alternatives.

24/7 managed detection and responseContinuous threat huntingAlert noise reduction

Deployment

Cloud

Integrations

CrowdStrike, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, SentinelOne +2

Target Users

Cross-industry, Finance, Healthcare, Higher Education

Enterprise Ready:SSO ReadyRBACREST APICompliance: SOC 2 Type II; HIPAA; ISO 27001; FedRAMP Moderate
#12
MDR (Managed Detection & Response)
Free TrialContact Vendor
Qualys logo
Foster City, California, USA2,000+

Qualys VMDR is a vulnerability management & response. It helps with vulnerability prioritization through threat detection. Explore features and compare MDR alternatives.

Vulnerability prioritizationTruRisk scoringAutomated patch response

Deployment

SaaS, Cloud

Integrations

ServiceNow, Splunk, Jira +3

Target Users

Cross-industry, Financial Services, Healthcare, Enterprise

Enterprise Ready:SSO ReadyRBACREST APICompliance: SOC 2; ISO 27001; FedRAMP; PCI DSS; HIPAA
#13
MDR (Managed Detection & Response)
Contact Vendor
eSentire logo
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada1,000+

eSentire MDR is a managed detection & response service. It helps with continuous cyber resilience through contractual SLAs. Explore features and compare MDR alternatives.

24/7 proactive threat huntingHuman-led active threat suppressionContinuous cyber resilience

Deployment

Cloud, Hybrid

Integrations

Microsoft Defender, CrowdStrike, Sentinel +2

Target Users

Mid-market, Enterprise, Finance, Healthcare, Legal, Financial Services, Energy, Manufacturing

Enterprise Ready:SSO ReadyRBACREST APICompliance: SOC 2 Type II; ISO 27001; HIPAA; PCI DSS
#14
Managed Security Services
Contact Vendor
Sherweb logo
Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada1,000+

What does Sherweb Security Solutions do? It covers identity protection. See typical use cases, cloud or hybrid deployment and how it compares to rivals.

Managed endpoint securityMulti-vendor defense-in-depthSecurity awareness training

Deployment

Cloud, Hybrid

Integrations

Trend Micro, Bitdefender, Acronis +2

Target Users

Small & Medium Businesses, MSP Clients, Healthcare

Enterprise Ready:SSO ReadyRBACREST APICompliance: SOC 2; HIPAA; PIPEDA
#15
MDR (Managed Detection & Response)
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Mandiant logo
Reston, Virginia, USA100,000+ (parent: Google)

Mandiant Managed Defense is a 24/7 managed detection & response for 24/7 proactive threat hunting and frontline adversary detection. See features and MDR alternatives.

24/7 proactive threat huntingFrontline adversary detectionDecisive incident containment

Deployment

Cloud

Integrations

Google Cloud Security, Microsoft Defender, CrowdStrike +1

Target Users

Cross-industry, Enterprise, Critical Infrastructure, Finance

Enterprise Ready:SSO ReadyRBACREST APICompliance: SOC 2 Type II; ISO 27001; FedRAMP
#16
MDR (Managed Detection & Response)
Contact Vendor
WatchGuard logo
Seattle, Washington, USA1,001-5,000

Looking for MDR software? WatchGuard MDR by WatchGuard provides SOC containment and forensic analysis for managed XDR. Compare features and alternatives.

MDRThreat DetectionManaged XDR

Deployment

Cloud

Integrations

WatchGuard EPDR, WatchGuard Cloud, ThreatSync

Target Users

Cross-industry, Mid-Market, Finance, Healthcare

Enterprise Ready:SSO ReadyRBACREST APICompliance: SOC 2; ISO 27001; HIPAA; GDPR
#17
MDR (Managed Detection & Response)
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NCC Group logo
Manchester, United Kingdom2,000+

Evaluating NCC Group Managed Detection & Response? See how this MDR tool handles threat hunting and breach response, where it fits best and which alternatives to compare.

MDRManaged Security Services

Deployment

Hybrid

Integrations

Microsoft Sentinel, Splunk, CrowdStrike

Target Users

Cross-industry, Mid-Market, Enterprise, Legal, Healthcare

Enterprise Ready:SSO ReadyRBACREST APICompliance: ISO 27001; SOC 2; CREST
#18
Endpoint Security
Free TrialContact Vendor
Kaseya logo
Miami, Florida, USA5,000+

Kaseya 365 is an integrated endpoint management & security used for IT Management. Highlights include antivirus. Compare it with other Endpoint Security tools.

Endpoint SecurityIT Management

Deployment

SaaS, Cloud, On-Premise

Integrations

Datto, Kaseya VSA, RocketCyber +1

Target Users

MSPs, Mid-Market, Mid-Market IT Teams

Enterprise Ready:SSO ReadyRBACREST APICompliance: SOC 2; HIPAA; GDPR
#19
MDR (Managed Detection & Response)
Contact Vendor
Sophos logo
Oxford, United Kingdom6,000+

Sophos MDR is a 24/7 managed detection and response used for Managed Detection & Response. Highlights include incident reporting. Compare it with other MDR tools.

MDRManaged Detection & Response

Deployment

SaaS, Cloud

Integrations

Sophos Central, Microsoft Defender, CrowdStrike

Target Users

Cross-industry, Mid-Market, Enterprise

Enterprise Ready:SSO ReadyRBACREST APICompliance: SOC 2; ISO 27001; HIPAA; GDPR
#20
Threat Intelligence
Contact Vendor
IBM logo
IBM X-Force
byIBMVerified
Armonk, New York, USA250,000+

IBM X-Force is a threat intelligence services used for research. Highlights include incident response. Compare it with other Threat Intelligence tools.

Threat intelligenceResearchIncident response

Deployment

Cloud

Integrations

Cloud, managed services

Target Users

Enterprise, Government, Financial Services, Healthcare

Enterprise Ready:SSO ReadyREST APICompliance: Service-specific

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers about Top Managed Security Service Providers.

Which are the top Managed Security Services vendors on Cyber Rank?

Top Managed Security Service Providers currently lists 20 products, in editorial order: #1 Trustwave Managed Security Services, #2 Guardz, #3 Arctic Wolf Managed Detection and Response, #4 HPE Managed Security, #5 Critical Start MDR, #6 ReliaQuest GreyMatter, #7 CrowdStrike Incident Response, #8 Fortra Vulnerability Management, #9 Optiv Managed Security Services, #10 Expel Managed Detection and Response, #11 Red Canary Managed Detection and Response, #12 Qualys VMDR, #13 eSentire MDR, #14 Sherweb Security Solutions, #15 Mandiant Managed Defense, #16 WatchGuard MDR, #17 NCC Group Managed Detection & Response, #18 Kaseya 365, #19 Sophos MDR, #20 IBM X-Force.

Which product is ranked #1 in Top Managed Security Service Providers?

Trustwave Managed Security Services by Trustwave is ranked first by the Cyber Rank editorial team.

View Trustwave Managed Security Services →

How is Top Managed Security Service Providers put together?

The Cyber Rank editorial team selects the products on this list and decides their order after reviewing each product's features, deployment options, integrations, industry fit and vendor background. It is not a market-share or customer-review ranking.

Which products appear here?

Products that our editors picked for Managed Security Services and that have a published Cyber Rank profile.

Can a product appear in other rankings?

Yes. Editors can list a product in any ranking where it is a strong fit, so it may appear in several.

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