Enterprise security monitoring below the seat minimum

The challenge

A group of three companies, running on a mix of Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, needed managed detection and response around the clock. With fewer than 100 users across the group, they fell well below the 200-seat minimum one major vendor required.

Size wasn't the only issue. The group was pursuing government work, so the security team watching their environment needed to be based in the US. One leading option used a global follow-the-sun model, which could have caused compliance problems later.

How our founder led it

Our founder compared three security vendors side by side on price, seat minimums, contract terms and where each security team was based. The recommended vendor had a US-staffed security operations center, worked at the group's size, and allowed the number of covered devices to drop by up to half if the group changed shape.

Then came the rollout. Endpoint protection went out across all three companies, including a self-service install package so one company's own IT lead could deploy on their side. The monitoring platform was connected to the group's key cloud, identity and network sources, so one security team sees activity across every environment. The old log collector was then retired, so nothing was left running unwatched.

RESULTS

$200K to $300K.

Projected savings of $200K to $300K over three years compared with the alternatives
US-staffed, around-the-clock monitoring across Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and cloud environments
Freedom to reduce covered devices by up to half without renegotiating
One view across three companies

Enterprise security monitoring below the seat minimum.

The challenge

How our founder led it