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Expel vs Sophos MDR comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

Binary Defense MDR
Sponsored
Ranking in Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
7th
Average Rating
9.2
Number of Reviews
16
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Expel
Ranking in Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
18th
Average Rating
9.0
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
SOC as a Service (5th)
Sophos MDR
Ranking in Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
5th
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
29
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Managed Detection and Response (MDR) category, the mindshare of Binary Defense MDR is 0.6%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Expel is 2.0%, down from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sophos MDR is 6.3%, up from 6.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
 

Featured Reviews

Rich Ullom - PeerSpot reviewer
May 1, 2023
Worth the money, fantastic communication, and fast service with an average response time of about four minutes on an alert
This is my third SOC. I have never had anybody react as well. So, it's hard for me to provide something that they could do better because I'm really happy with them. I just signed another three-year contract with them. I don't find any downside to them, but if I have to put one, it would be consistent manpower or staffing. The only area where the solution can be improved is going to be with people. As they grow, they are struggling with the same thing that every other company is, which is getting talent and getting that talent to stay, but they've just revised their tiering system to go from a flat analyst and manager to a three-tier solution where it goes through two or three before it gets elevated. That seems to have worked out well, so if one level misses it, the next one picks it up, and it works out fine. Consistent staffing is the only challenge they have because when you're hiring level-one analysts, you go through them pretty quickly. You'll probably hire them at 50K or 55K, and after they do it for a year, they find out they can make 85K somewhere else, and they bounce. So, their turnover is a little high, but that's it.
reviewer2578461 - PeerSpot reviewer
Oct 16, 2024
Rapid threat management and diverse technology integration for effective monitoring
I have experience reselling Expel. Customers often come to me wanting to evaluate multiple providers to make a choice based on their specific use cases, requirements, technology investments, and so forth. Expel is beneficial for customers with diverse environments in terms of technologies that need…
ManelAlvarez - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 6, 2024
Quarantines and removes threats from the network
The most important aspect is a EC2 deployment which is a remote deployment done for new customers using Sophos. Approximately ninety-five percent of EC2 deployment is automated, requiring only a review or customization for the customer's needs. Another key feature is the centralized control of updates, allowing for scheduling any interaction with the endpoint. Additionally, the new platform and system operations, along with IOCs, are updated daily. Sophos has a very good policy at good prices. Since I have a local contact with the salespeople, they provide me discounts. It's very stable and competitive. When the customers have budget, they can opt for CrowdStrike. However, when the customers have budget constraints on daily servers, and when the customers prefer to integrate mobile platforms with different technologies, they can use this one technology. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"In the six months we have been with Binary Defense on this, they run with the ball. They take care of our problems. When we get a ticket, they do not just give us a report."
"Binary Defense has a human service department that provides live monitoring for our systems."
"The customization has been the most valuable aspect and was really the reason we ended up selecting Binary Defense. They worked with us to provide exactly the level of support, features, response, and collaboration we needed."
"Binary Defense is comprehensive. We see most of the questionable activity. Once you see things a couple of times and are familiar with the processes, you know what those are. The level of activity is definitely favorable."
"Among the valuable features are the agent, continuous reporting, and dashboard. It has all the features we need and we haven't had to customize it, other than turning on certain features that we wanted."
"The best part about Binary Defense MDR is that it runs on everything, and they keep an eye on things 24/7."
"Our mean time to response has gone down. We're much faster with direct response and have more investigative capabilities than we did before."
"One of the main benefits of Binary Defense MDR is the ability to easily meet with their support team to discuss any issues we encounter."
"Their threat hunting protocol and process with AI and machine learning are strong, allowing for active and rapid responses."
"The most valuable aspect of this solution is the ability to interact with the firewall and workstations seamlessly to shut down the threats. Additionally, you are able to control the workstations remotely."
"Sophos MDR has improved the threat detection process by identifying and addressing the issues before they become severe."
"There is a feature called XDR Central. With this, Sophos can connect to third-party security solutions."
"The automation feature in Sophos MDR provides reports and alerts."
"The most valuable feature of the Sophos Managed Threat Response is the central management capabilities and monitoring."
"The tool's ability to work with security threats is competitive. The best part is monitoring and the way we receive automated emails and updates. When an issue arises, a ticket automatically gets raised, clearly outlining the necessary actions to be taken from our end."
"I like Sophos MDR's inbuilt feature for DLP (Data Loss Prevention)."
"The product as a whole is truly outstanding and it excels in detecting and responding to various types of cyberattacks."
 

Cons

"I don't find any downside to them, but if I have to put one, it would be consistent manpower or staffing. The only area where the solution can be improved is going to be with people. As they grow, they are struggling with the same thing that every other company is, which is getting talent and getting that talent to stay, but they've just revised their tiering system to go from a flat analyst and manager to a three-tier solution where it goes through two or three before it gets elevated. That seems to have worked out well, so if one level misses it, the next one picks it up, and it works out fine."
"We found a couple of bugs in the user interface."
"The most significant area for improvement is in support for non-English speakers; we're a global organization, so many of our users are not English speakers, which can make interacting with them a challenge. There's no Chinese language support, so we must rely on what we can do with the internet. We don't expect Binary Defense to build a language staff, but details can get lost in translation when we assume the whole world speaks English."
"We should be able to isolate devices faster. They should shorten the time between clicking on a device to contain it and carrying out the action. That would be a welcome improvement."
"We found that an earlier version of the agent had high memory usage and that was a bit concerning, but we raised the concern with their support team and they immediately replied that they had noticed the same thing and had a candidate fix already available... it totally fixed the issue."
"The only area for improvement that I can think of relates to statistical analysis for SLAs. They are in the middle of moving to a new product called D3 which is going to do some backend work for them. I know they are working to improve some of the help desk statistics, such as the time the tickets open and the time they are closed."
"The current reporting system could benefit from improvement."
"I would like to see more frequent check-ins with our security status."
"The one area where Expel may not measure up is if a customer requires a managed SIEM as part of their overall solution. There's a gap there, and solutions might require third-party assistance for management."
"Threat intelligence is an area for improvement for MDR."
"The technical team for Sophos MDR is not so good since they take a long time, like a week, to provide a solution to a simple case or problem we face in our company."
"Endpoint protection is very slow."
"It could be more secure."
"The product's stability needs improvement."
"Sophos is not integrating the same console and umbrella with its product."
"The product must provide zero trust security."
"Support could provide a faster response."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is on target. Working with their sales team on pricing negotiations was a pleasant process. They were very respectful of the constraints we had and I feel that we're paying a fair price."
"The pricing is very good. They are definitely competitive and they were lower at the time that we went with them."
"It's valued at the right price. Even with the number of endpoints we have, we don't feel that it's a lot more than any competitor. In fact, it might be less expensive when you look at the fact that you're getting a full flex SOC out of it along with the tools."
"Binary Defense MDR is priced competitively and may be slightly lower than CrowdStrike."
"It has been good. We have saved money, and we have a better product."
"The pricing isn't that bad, it's very competitive. I don't feel that it's over-priced and I don't feel that it's under-priced."
"After we acquired this platform, we met with a number of different vendors. Binary Defense came in with a proposal that was surprisingly affordable. In fact, we were able to recoup the cost of their services within a short period of time. This is because Binary Defense is able to provide the same level of security as a team of two or three in-house analysts but at a fraction of the cost. As a result, Binary Defense is saving us an estimated $250,000 to $300,000 per year."
"Binary Defense has changed its pricing model from being primarily based on the volume of data to one based on escalations and incidents they handle."
Information not available
"I would rate the price of Sophos MDR as a nine out of ten, with ten being the most expensive."
"The product is reasonably priced considering the cybersecurity features."
"Sophos MDR is not a cheap product. Compared with other solutions in the market, Sophos MDR is available at a good price, especially considering its performance."
"The solution is expensive."
"The tool is too expensive for small companies."
"The price falls somewhere in the middle range."
"The solution has subscription-based pricing plans."
"Compared to other tools, Sophos has a pretty good price."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Healthcare Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
19%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Real Estate/Law Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
21%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
6%
Comms Service Provider
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Binary Defense MDR?
The most valuable feature is reviewing tickets and the notes added by technicians.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Binary Defense MDR?
The pricing is very competitive; it's on par with or below others. For those sensitive to pricing, I'd advise that th...
What needs improvement with Binary Defense MDR?
Sometimes, something may not install right; however, whenever we have challenges, they are very solution-oriented and...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Expel?
Expel's pricing has adapted as the market evolved and has become competitive over the past twelve months.
What needs improvement with Expel?
The one area where Expel may not measure up is if a customer requires a managed SIEM as part of their overall solutio...
What is your primary use case for Expel?
I have experience reselling Expel. Customers often come to me wanting to evaluate multiple providers to make a choice...
What do you like most about Sophos MDR?
The user doesn't need a technician; it offers 24/7 support to identify and manage your infrastructure and take comple...
What needs improvement with Sophos MDR?
Maybe the reporting needs improvement.
What advice do you have for others considering Sophos MDR?
I would recommend Sophas MDR to others as long as they have another software solution like a firewall to combine with...
 

Also Known As

Binary Defense Vision, Binary Defense Managed Detection and Response, Binary Defense Managed Detection & Response
Workbench, Expel SOC-as-a-Service
Sophos Managed Threat Response
 

Learn More

Video not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Securitas USA, Black Hills Energy, Lincoln Electric,The J.M. Smuckers Company, New York Community Bank, State of Connecticut, NCR
Amanda Fennell CSO
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about CrowdStrike, Arctic Wolf Networks, Huntress and others in Managed Detection and Response (MDR). Updated: November 2024.
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