Binary Defense vs Thales (S21sec)
Binary Defense is a Pure-play MDR that works with your existing tools. Thales (S21sec) is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. Binary Defense targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Thales (S21sec) serves Enterprise. Binary Defense includes 4 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, Identity, Network), compared to 2 for Thales (S21sec) (Network, OT/ICS).
Buyer brief
Binary Defense is a Pure-play MDR that works with your existing tools. Thales (S21sec) is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. Binary Defense targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Thales (S21sec) serves Enterprise. Binary Defense includes 4 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, Identity, Network), compared to 2 for Thales (S21sec) (Network, OT/ICS).
Binary Defense (Pure-play MDR) and Thales (S21sec) (Services firm) serve different buyer profiles. Your decision depends on whether you prioritize Binary Defense's binary defense's core differentiator is proactive threat hunting with an attacker's mindset, cons... or Thales (S21sec)'s thales/s21sec is strongest for complex, regulated and critical-sector environments that value glo....
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Mid-market and enterprise organizations with existing EDR/SIEM investments they want to keep | Critical infrastructure and public-sector buyers that need Thales/S21sec regional cyber detection and response |
| Price | Custom quote | Custom quote |
| Response authority | 4/6 actions · Configurable | 2/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Works with existing stack | Works with existing stack |
| Data access | Full query access | Reports only |
| Warranty | None listed | None listed |
- Best fit
- Mid-market and enterprise organizations with existing EDR/SIEM investments they want to keep
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 4/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Full query access
- Warranty
- None listed
- Best fit
- Critical infrastructure and public-sector buyers that need Thales/S21sec regional cyber detection and response
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 2/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Reports only
- Warranty
- None listed
Detailed comparison
| FIELD | Binary DefenseTECH-AGNOSTIC | Thales (S21sec)TECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | ||
| Target size | Mid-market, Enterprise | Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Mixed |
| Your stack | ||
| Approach | Works with your tools | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | Microsoft Defender for EndpointCrowdStrike FalconSentinelOneCarbon Black | Customer endpoint security tools |
| SIEM integrations | Microsoft SentinelSplunkExabeamPalo Alto Cortex XSIAMGoogle Chronicle | Customer SIEM platformsThales SOC tooling |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: CoveredSaaSSaaS: Optional add-onNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Not covered | EPEndpoint: LimitedCloudCloud: LimitedIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: LimitedNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Covered |
| Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | IsolateContainDisable accountsCustom playbooks | ContainCustom playbooks |
| IR included | Separate | ✓ Included |
| Cost | ||
| Price range | Not published. Custom quotes only. | Not published |
| Minimum seats | None | None |
| Breach warranty | – | – |
| More details | ||
| Requires own agent | No | No |
| Endpoints | ✓ Included | ~ Limited |
| Cloud workloads | ✓ Included | ~ Limited |
| Identity | ✓ Included | ~ Limited |
| SaaS apps | + Optional | ~ Limited |
| Network | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| OT/ICS | Not offered | ✓ Included |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | ≤30 minutes | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Custom pricing. MDR and MDR Plus tiers. Co-managed and fully managed options available. | Custom quote for Thales Cyber Detection and Response, Managed Security Services, SOC and MDR. Public prices are not published. |
| Hidden cost warnings | MDR Plus features (deception, malware disruption) are add-ons beyond base MDR. IR is not included in base MDR, available as separate retainer. Requires direct connection to client network, VPN may impact delivery. Pricing not publicly disclosed, requires sales engagement | The current S21sec domain routes to Thales-branded services, so buyers wanting legacy S21sec-specific delivery should confirm contracting entity, SOC location and delivery team.. Public pages do not publish prices, minimum terms, service credits, MTTD/MTTR or formal MDR SLAs.. Thales offers a broad cybersecurity services portfolio; buyers should separate base MDR scope from CTI, DRPS, DFIR, CERT, ICS monitoring and advisory services.. Named endpoint, identity and cloud containment actions are not public and should be confirmed tool by tool.. Data retention, raw log access, offboarding and detection-content export rights are not described publicly. |
| Data portability | Partial | Partial |
| Contract terms | Monthly, Annual, Multi-year | Custom cyber detection and response engagement, Managed Security Services, SOC and MDR, Critical-infrastructure cybersecurity services |
| Channels | SlackEmailPortalPhone | EmailPhonePortal |
| Data access | Full query access | Reports only |
| Dedicated analyst | ✓ | – |
| SOC regions | North America | EuropeMEAAPAC |
| Onboarding | 2-8 weeks depending on environment complexity. Requires direct connection to client network. | Not published. Thales describes customer-centric service roadmaps and selecting/deploying detection and response technologies, but no standard MDR onboarding timeline. |
| Industry focus | ManufacturingHealthcareFinancial ServicesTechnologyRetail | Critical InfrastructureGovernmentDefenseEnergyManufacturingAviationSpaceFinancial ServicesTelecommunicationsHealthcareTransportationAutomotiveUtilitiesMaritime |
| MTTD | Not published | Not published |
| MTTR | Not published | Not published |
| Community view | Gartner Peer Insights rates 4.6/5 (30 reviews) and PeerSpot 9.2/10. Forrester Strong Performer in Q1 2025 (was Leader in 2021) with highest possible scores for endpoint detection, threat hunting, and community. Praise for technical depth, but Glassdoor employee rating is 2.5/5, and some customers report declining service quality. | The current public evidence is strong for Thales-branded global SOC, MDR, CTI, DFIR and critical-infrastructure detection and response, but weak for S21sec as a standalone public MDR brand. Buyers should validate current delivery model, SOC location, response authority, pricing and whether the contract is with Thales/S21sec in the relevant country. |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type II | DORATIBER-EUPCI DSSEASA Part-ISEASAICAOUNECE |
| Certifications | SOC 2 Type II (security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, privacy) | 8 threat intelligence and AI-driven SOCs around the worldSOCs in France, Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain, and New Zealand and Australia |
| Founded | 2014 | – |
| Data retention | Not published. | Not published. Public pages do not describe default log retention, raw log access, storage tiers or export terms for Thales SOC and MDR. |
| API available | ✓ | – |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
FAQ
What is the main difference between Binary Defense and Thales (S21sec)?
Binary Defense is a Pure-play MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Thales (S21sec) is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). SLA commitments differ: Binary Defense offers ≤30 minutes, Thales (S21sec) offers Not disclosed. Binary Defense covers 4 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 2 for Thales (S21sec).
How do Binary Defense and Thales (S21sec) differ in response capabilities?
Binary Defense supports 4 autonomous actions (account disable, custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, network containment) and approval is configurable. Thales (S21sec) supports 2 autonomous actions (custom playbooks, network containment) and approval is configurable. Incident response is not included with Binary Defense and included with Thales (S21sec).
How does Binary Defense pricing compare to Thales (S21sec)?
Binary Defense pricing: Not published. Custom quotes only.. Thales (S21sec) pricing: Not published. Watch for with Binary Defense: MDR Plus features (deception, malware disruption) are add-ons beyond base MDR; IR is not included in base MDR, available as separate retainer. Watch for with Thales (S21sec): The current S21sec domain routes to Thales-branded services, so buyers wanting legacy S21sec-specific delivery should confirm contracting entity, SOC location and delivery team.; Public pages do not publish prices, minimum terms, service credits, MTTD/MTTR or formal MDR SLAs..
Should I choose Binary Defense or Thales (S21sec)?
Choose Binary Defense if: mid-market and enterprise organizations with existing EDR/SIEM investments they want to keep. Choose Thales (S21sec) if: critical infrastructure and public-sector buyers that need Thales/S21sec regional cyber detection and response. Binary Defense is not ideal for organizations needing global SOC coverage (SOC is US-based only, analysts work remotely). Thales (S21sec) is not ideal for buyers that need a standalone legacy S21sec-branded MDR package.
Daylight Security
AI-native MDR for buyers comparing active remediation across endpoint, cloud, identity, and SaaS. Daylight works with existing EDR/SIEM stacks and uses ChatOps-native collaboration, so it can be a useful third reference point in this comparison.