Take a look at the 2022 SC Awards, and you’ll notice five finalists in the Managed Security Services category. Among the questions to consider: How do those five MSSPs partner with various cybersecurity companies to drive down customer risk?
Among some of the key takeaways for the 2022 SC Awards Finalists: The Managed Security Services are largely delivered by software-centric SaaS companies. In other words, several of these five finalists are not traditional IT service providers in the cyber market. Here’s a look at those five finalists — sorted alphabetically — along with MSSP Alert’s take on their various partner engagements.
1. Castra (Durham, North Carolina)
The company — which ranks as a Top 250 MSSP — blends SIEM (security information and event management) with 24×7 MDR capabilities. Castra, founded in 2012, has between 51-200 employees listed on LinkedIn. The company has an 24×7, SOC2 Type I and Type II compliant and audited Security Operation Center located in North Carolina and redundant data centers throughout North America. Among the company’s key honors: Exabeam named Castra as MSSP Partner of the Year for the Americas in 2021.
2. ClearDATA Managed Health Cloud (Austin, Texas)
ClearDATA, founded in 2012, has 197 employees listed on LinkedIn. The company focuses on the healthcare market, providing cloud, privacy and security services that safeguard data. ClearDATA raised $26 million in funding in November 2018, though we haven't heard any funding updates since that time. The ClearDATA partner ecosystem spans consulting firms, solutions providers and technology partners.
3. F5 Distributed Cloud Bot Defense (Seattle, Washington)
F5 has nearly 6,000 employees listed on LinkedIn. The publicly held company ($FFIV) is perhaps best known for its application acceleration and delivery services. But those efforts also include a range of managed cloud services -- such as Distributed Cloud Bot Defense. The bot mitigation service leverages AI to protect customers across APIs, web and mobile apps. The F5 partner program supports VARs, global systems integrators and various type of technology alliances.
4. HID Global PKI-as-a-Service (Austin, Texas)
HID has nearly 3,000 employees listed on LinkedIn. The company's specialities include HID cards, readers and access controllers. The HID PKIaaS enables organizations to create and deploy their own enterprise private PKI trust hierarchies to secure their networks, IT systems and IoT devices, the company asserts. The HID partner program spans alliance partners, consulting firms, and various firms that offer value0-added services.
5. ThreatBlockr (Tysons, Virginia)
ThreatBlockr has 33 employees listed on LinkedIn. The company in March 2022 rebranded from Bandura Cyber and raised $5 million in funding. The company's software "fully automates the enforcement, deployment and analysis of cyber intelligence at a massive scale," ThreatBlockr asserts. The strategy leverages cyber intelligence from over 50 security vendor. The company's partner program includes an MSP focus.
