MDR vs MSSP: Which is Right for You?

With cyberattacks growing in scale, speed, and sophistication, security leaders must make critical decisions about how to defend their organizations without overwhelming internal teams. While Managed Security Services Providers (MSSPs) and Managed Detection and Response (MDR) have long been the go-to options, many organizations find that neither model fully addresses today’s complex threat environment.

Let’s break these options down:

MSSP: Operational Relief, But Limited Response

Traditional MSSPs offer value by handling operational tasks such as:

• Monitoring firewalls and intrusion detection systems

• Performing vulnerability scans and patch management

• Aggregating logs for compliance and reporting

But while MSSPs can reduce workload by offloading routine tasks like log collection and device management, they often lack the contextual insight and active response capabilities needed to address modern threats effectively. This creates a dangerous visibility gap: security teams receive a flood of isolated alerts—with no correlation, no prioritization, and no actionable next steps.

In today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape, where ransomware can spread laterally within minutes, supply chain attacks are engineered to bypass traditional defenses, and attackers often dwell undetected for weeks, this lack of context and speed is more than a nuisance—it’s a risk multiplier.

A Ponemon Institute study revealed that 56% of MSSP users suffer from alert fatigue and lack clarity on incident prioritization.

MDR: Agile Detection, But Narrow Focus

MDR providers emerged to address this issue by delivering:

• 24/7 threat monitoring through EDR/XDR tools

• Advanced analytics and threat hunting

• Incident investigation and guided containment

However, MDR offerings are often limited to endpoint-focused detection and don’t cover the broader infrastructure, cloud, and compliance requirements that many enterprises face. Additionally, response capabilities vary widely, and time to action can still lag.

ESG Research found that while 88% of MDR users are more confident in detection, many still struggle with slow containment and integration complexity.

Stratejm + Bell: Comprehensive, Coordinated, and Fast

The Modern MSSP model, pioneered by Stratejm + Bell, blends the strategic depth and broad coverage of a traditional MSSP with the real-time detection and response capabilities of MDR—but goes a step further by delivering these services through a fully integrated, highly automated security ecosystem.

By correlating telemetry across network, endpoint, identity, and cloud systems in real time, Stratejm + Bell gives organizations the visibility to see the full threat picture—not just isolated signals. This end-to-end context enables automated decision-making and response workflows, allowing their 24/7 SOC to contain threats within five minutes of detection—before attackers can escalate privileges, exfiltrate data, or trigger ransomware payloads.

What sets Stratejm + Bell apart:

• End-to-end visibility across endpoints, networks, cloud, identity, and SaaS

• Embedded 24/7 SOC operations staffed by highly skilled cyber analysts

• Full-spectrum threat detection, investigation, and incident response

• Industry-aligned compliance reporting (PCI-DSS, ISO, NIST, etc.)

• Vendor-agnostic integrations with your existing tech stack

• And most critically: 5-minute time to containment, enabled by advanced automation and orchestration

Comparing Your Options

Which Model Fits Your Needs?

• Traditional MSSP: Best for organizations needing basic operations coverage with limited response expectations.

• MDR: Best for those looking to add endpoint-centric detection and response capabilities without full-stack oversight.

• Stratejm + Bell (Modern MSSP): Ideal for mid-market and enterprise organizations seeking a scalable, deeply integrated, and responsive cybersecurity partner.

Why Security Leaders Choose Stratejm + Bell

At Stratejm + Bell, we don’t just monitor—we act. Our Modern MSSP model delivers complete visibility, advanced threat analytics, and response times measured in minutes, not hours. We integrate with your existing environment to accelerate outcomes, reduce alert fatigue, and drive down total cost of defense.

Whether you’re defending against ransomware, insider threats, or cloud misconfigurations, we bring the speed, intelligence, and partnership today’s security teams need.

💡 Want to learn how to evaluate the right model for your business?
Join our upcoming executive webinar:
“MDR vs MSSP vs Modern MSSP: How to Choose the Right Model for Your Business”

• Hear from cybersecurity architects
• Get a proven decision-making framework
• See how Stratejm + Bell delivers results in under 5 minutes

👉 Register for the Webinar Now

Sources:

• ESG Research, Trends in Managed Detection and Response

• Ponemon Institute, The Cost of Inefficient MSSPs

• IBM Security, X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2024

• Stratejm + Bell internal performance benchmarks