Critical Start: MDR Security Business Background
Critical Start has roughly 250 employees and is looking to grow by 35% by end of 2022, a spokesperson for the company tells MSSP Alert.On the technology front, Critical Start's MDR platform can automatically resolve over 99% of security alerts, the company asserts. The remaining 1% of issues can be handled by Critical Start's security operation center (SOC) analysts.Critical Start's customer base spans "hundreds" of MDR customers in the midsize and large enterprise sector, the company indicated. Moreover, ARR (annual recurring revenue) has grown by more than 400% in the last three years. Still, actual customer adoption figures, revenue dollars and EBITDA figures are undisclosed since the company is privately held.Critical Start has 90 channel partners and is committed to a "100 percent" channel go-to-market model, the company indicated. Key technology partners include Microsoft, Palo Alto Networks, CrowdStrike, Splunk, SentinelOne and VMWare.Ahead of the Vista Equity funding, Critical Start spun off CyberOne in November 2021. CyberOne is a value-added reseller (VAR) that generates more than $100 million in annual revenue.Critical Start MDR Funding: Executive Perspectives
In a prepared statement about the funding, Rob Davis, founder and CEO of Critical Start, said:“Our goal at Critical Start is to be the most effective, easiest to consume, and quickest to deploy Managed Detection and Response service, and we believe this investment from Vista will help us continue to expand our differentiation in how we help protect our customers from cyber-attacks. For the past ten years, we have been laser focused on protecting our customers from the most sophisticated cyber threats by building a best-in-class technology platform and team. We are thrilled to partner with Vista given their team’s deep understanding of the enterprise technology and security landscape and the resources they can deliver to help us continue along our tremendous growth trajectory.”
“Across every industry, enterprises are seeking trusted providers to help protect themselves from the increasing volume of cyber-attacks, particularly given the large and increasing shortage of available sophisticated security talent. Differentiated technology, working together with their expert service and support teams, makes Critical Start the managed solutions provider of choice for organizations looking to improve their security posture and protect themselves cost-effectively against the rapidly evolving cyber-threats.”
“The demand for MDR services is soaring as organizations of all sizes and across all industries recognize the criticality of 24/7/365 cyber threat vigilance. With superior technology, trusted service, and best-in-class customer advocacy, Critical Start is well positioned to be a winner in the category, and we look forward to supporting Rob and the team on this next chapter of growth.”
