Facing an increasingly crowded managed detection and response (MDR) market, businesses seeking to enhance their cybersecurity must consider solutions varying widely in scope, capabilities, and cost. Decision makers have to make apples-and-oranges choices between products that can easily carry six or even seven-figure price tags.

MDR providers specialize in detecting, investigating, and responding to threats across interconnected systems like endpoints, networks, cloud services, and SaaS applications. By leveraging human expertise, machine learning, and AI, they deliver actionable insights and improved security outcomes, helping organizations overcome challenges like resource constraints and the high cost of 24/7 security operations. Ultimately, the value of an MDR partner lies in their ability to reduce risk, increase response efficiency, and optimize threat detection, making them a strategic investment for modern organizations struggling to manage complex security environments.

But how do you know which provider is right for your organization? Our vendor-agnostic MDR Buyers’ Guide lists all of the questions you should ask while vetting MDR solutions. We’ve included the highest-level ones below.

Questions to ask MDR providers

1. What type of data do you use to detect threats?

2. Do you create your own detections?

3. What level of investigation and incident reporting do you provide?

4. Are your detections and investigations primarily determined by humans, machines, or a combination of both?

5. To what degree is your response machine-led?

6. Do you offer human-guided response capabilities?

7. Do you perform hands-on-keyboard response?

8. Do you integrate with our existing technologies?

9. How deep are your integrations with our security tools?

10. Is expert advice included in your service?

11. Is there a limit to the number of requests for information, escalation, or communications with your team?

12. What is your pricing model?

Go deeper

Download the MDR Buyers’ Guide for even more questions and considerations for an MDR purchase.