Critical Start Named to 2019 MSSP Alert Top 200 Managed Security Services Providers List

PLANO, TX – October 11, 2019 – Third Annual List Honors Leading MSSPs, MDR Service Providers & Cybersecurity Companies – MSSP Alert, published by After Nines Inc., has named Critical Start, a leading provider of Managed Detection and Response (MDR) services,  to the Top 200 MSSPs list for 2019. The list and research identify and honor the top 200 managed security services providers (MSSPs) that specialize in comprehensive, outsourced cybersecurity services. Critical Start’s MDR business grew more than 300% last year while maintaining a 99% customer retention rate.

Previous editions of the annual list honored 100 MSSPs. This year’s edition, at twice the size, reflects MSSP Alert’s rapidly growing readership and the world’s growing consumption of managed security services. MSSP Alert’s readership has grown every month, year over year, since launching in May 2017.

The Top 200 MSSP rankings are based on MSSP Alert’s 2019 readership survey combined with aggregated third-party research. MSSPs featured proactively monitor, manage and mitigate cyber threats for businesses, government agencies, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations of all sizes.

“Critical Start stops breaches by resolving all security alerts versus ignoring lower priority events. Moving up the list highlights the success we are experiencing with reinventing the concept of a Security Operations Center using the unique combination of 100% transparency and our mobile-first approach to customer interaction,” said Rob Davis, CEO of Critical Start. “As clients struggle with cybersecurity talent shortages, ransomware attacks and an overload of alerts, our success in competitive replacements is fueled by our ability to move beyond an in-house SOC at a fraction of the cost and time to implement.”

“After Nines Inc. and MSSP Alert congratulate Critical Start on this year’s honor,” said Amy Katz, CEO of After Nines Inc. “Amid the ongoing cybersecurity talent shortage, thousands of MSPs and IT consulting firms are striving to move into the managed security market. The Top 200 list honors the MSSP market’s true pioneers.”

MSSP Alert: Top 200 MSSPs 2019 – Research Highlights

The MSSP Alert readership survey revealed several major trends in the managed security services provider market. Chief among them:

  • The Top 5 business drivers for managed security services are talent shortages; regulatory compliance needs; the availability of cloud services; ransomware attacks; and SMB customers demanding security guidance from partners.
  • 69% of MSSPs now run full-blown security operations centers (SOCs) in-house, with 19% leveraging hybrid models, 8% completely outsourcing SOC services and 4% still formulating strategies.
  • The Top 10 cybersecurity vendors assisting MSSPs, in order of reader preference, are Fortinet, AT&T Cybersecurity, Cisco Systems, BlackBerry Cylance, Palo Alto Networks, Microsoft, SonicWall, Carbon Black, Tenable and Webroot (a Carbonite company).
  • Although the overall MSSP market enjoys double-digit percentage growth rates, many of the Top 200 MSSPs have single-digit growth rates because they are busy investing in next-generation services – including managed detection and response (MDR), SOC as a Service, and automated penetration testing.

The Top 200 MSSPs list and research are overseen by Content Czar Joe Panettieri (@JoePanettieri). Find the online list and associated report here: http://www.msspalert.com/top200.

Critical Start’s MDR services are differentiated by the industry’s only cloud-based SOAR platform that resolves 99% of security events on its own by utilizing the intelligence from billions of alerts investigated and more than 20,000 playbooks. This lets SOC analysts focus their investigations on true issues, unknowns and anomalies. Using a transparent, mobile-first engagement model, Critical Start’s MDRservices support a wide range of leading enterprise security technology partners, including Carbon Black, Cylance, Microsoft, Palo Alto Networks, and Splunk, among others.

About Critical Start

Critical Start, the MDR experts that leave nothing to chance. The company developed the industry’s only cloud-based, SOAR platform that resolves 99% of security events on its own to eliminate compromises and stop breaches. Our mission is simple: detect threats and stop breaches by resolving every alert for our customers. We do this for enterprises through our award-winning portfolio of end-to-end security services, including MDR and Professional Services. Visit www.criticalstart.com for more information.

About After Nines Inc.

After Nines Inc. provides timeless IT guidance for strategic partners and IT security professionals across ChannelE2E and MSSP Alert.  ChannelE2E tracks every stage of the IT service provider journey — from entrepreneur to exit. MSSP Alert is the global voice for Managed Security Services Providers (MSSPs).

  • For sponsorship information contact After Nines Inc. CEO Amy Katz, [email protected]
  • For content and editorial questions contact After Nines Inc. Content Czar Joe Panettieri, [email protected]

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