Bitdefender MDR vs Thales (S21sec)
Bitdefender MDR is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. Thales (S21sec) is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. Bitdefender MDR targets SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise organizations; Thales (S21sec) serves Enterprise. Bitdefender MDR includes 1 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint), compared to 2 for Thales (S21sec) (Network, OT/ICS).
Buyer brief
Bitdefender MDR is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. Thales (S21sec) is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. Bitdefender MDR targets SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise organizations; Thales (S21sec) serves Enterprise. Bitdefender MDR includes 1 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint), compared to 2 for Thales (S21sec) (Network, OT/ICS).
Bitdefender MDR is the choice if you want a single-vendor stack with deep integration. Thales (S21sec) is better if you have existing tools and want flexibility.
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Organizations already on GravityZone wanting to add managed detection without changing their endpoint stack | Critical infrastructure and public-sector buyers that need Thales/S21sec regional cyber detection and response |
| Price | Custom quote | Custom quote |
| Response authority | 6/6 actions · Configurable | 2/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Requires own platform | Works with existing stack |
| Data access | Dashboards | Reports only |
| Warranty | $1,000,000 | None listed |
- Best fit
- Organizations already on GravityZone wanting to add managed detection without changing their endpoint stack
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 6/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Requires own platform
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- $1,000,000
- 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 | Bitdefender MDRPLATFORM | Thales (S21sec)TECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | ||
| Target size | SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise | Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Positive | Mixed |
| Your stack | ||
| Approach | Requires their platform | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | Bitdefender | Customer endpoint security tools |
| SIEM integrations | IBM QRadarSplunkMicrosoft SentinelFortiSIEMElasticLogRhythmSumo Logic | Customer SIEM platformsThales SOC tooling |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: Optional add-onIDIdentity: Optional add-onSaaSSaaS: Optional add-onNetNetwork: Optional add-onOTOT/IoT: Not covered | EPEndpoint: LimitedCloudCloud: LimitedIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: LimitedNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Covered |
| Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | IsolateKill processContainDisable accountsQuarantineCustom playbooks | ContainCustom playbooks |
| IR included | Separate | ✓ Included |
| Cost | ||
| Price range | Not published. Bitdefender simplified to two tiers (MDR and MDR PLUS) in 2024. MSPs get consumption-based billing. | Not published |
| Minimum seats | None | None |
| Breach warranty | $1,000,000 | – |
| More details | ||
| Requires own agent | Yes | No |
| Endpoints | ✓ Included | ~ Limited |
| Cloud workloads | + Optional | ~ Limited |
| Identity | + Optional | ~ Limited |
| SaaS apps | + Optional | ~ Limited |
| Network | + Optional | ✓ Included |
| OT/ICS | Not offered | ✓ Included |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | ≤30 minutes | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Per-endpoint, per-month | Custom quote for Thales Cyber Detection and Response, Managed Security Services, SOC and MDR. Public prices are not published. |
| Hidden cost warnings | Requires GravityZone agent. Cannot use third-party EDR for core MDR detection.. XDR sensor licenses (network, identity, cloud, email) are additional cost and can significantly increase total spend. DFIR is not included. Forensic investigation runs through CYPFER at separate cost.. Breach warranty requires 1,000+ endpoints | 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 | Annual, Multi-year, Monthly (MSP) | Custom cyber detection and response engagement, Managed Security Services, SOC and MDR, Critical-infrastructure cybersecurity services |
| Channels | EmailPortalPhone | EmailPhonePortal |
| Data access | Dashboards | Reports only |
| Dedicated analyst | ✓ | – |
| SOC regions | North AmericaEuropeAsia-Pacific | EuropeMEAAPAC |
| Onboarding | Quick for existing GravityZone users. New deployments require agent rollout and onboarding configuration. | Not published. Thales describes customer-centric service roadmaps and selecting/deploying detection and response technologies, but no standard MDR onboarding timeline. |
| Industry focus | HealthcareEducationFinancial ServicesGovernment (Local/State)ManufacturingRetail | Critical InfrastructureGovernmentDefenseEnergyManufacturingAviationSpaceFinancial ServicesTelecommunicationsHealthcareTransportationAutomotiveUtilitiesMaritime |
| MTTD | 24 minutes (MITRE Managed Services Evaluation 2024) | Not published |
| MTTR | Not published | Not published |
| Community view | Gartner Peer Insights 4.8/5 for Endpoint Protection Platforms (223 reviews, Customers' Choice 2026). MITRE ATT&CK evaluations back the detection claims. Note: analyst community ratings are for the GravityZone platform broadly, not the MDR service specifically. | 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 IIISO 27001ISO 27017ISO 27018HIPAAGDPR | DORATIBER-EUPCI DSSEASA Part-ISEASAICAOUNECE |
| Certifications | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001ISO 27017ISO 27018 | 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 | 2001 | – |
| Data retention | Up to 365 days depending on configuration. 1 year included with MDR. | 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 Bitdefender MDR and Thales (S21sec)?
Bitdefender MDR is a Platform vendor that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). Thales (S21sec) is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). SLA commitments differ: Bitdefender MDR offers ≤30 minutes, Thales (S21sec) offers Not disclosed. Bitdefender MDR covers 1 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 2 for Thales (S21sec).
How do Bitdefender MDR and Thales (S21sec) differ in response capabilities?
Bitdefender MDR supports 6 autonomous actions (account disable, custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable. Thales (S21sec) supports 2 autonomous actions (custom playbooks, network containment) and approval is configurable. Incident response is not included with Bitdefender MDR and included with Thales (S21sec).
How does Bitdefender MDR pricing compare to Thales (S21sec)?
Bitdefender MDR pricing: Not published. Bitdefender simplified to two tiers (MDR and MDR PLUS) in 2024. MSPs get consumption-based billing.. Thales (S21sec) pricing: Not published. Watch for with Bitdefender MDR: Requires GravityZone agent. Cannot use third-party EDR for core MDR detection.; XDR sensor licenses (network, identity, cloud, email) are additional cost and can significantly increase total spend. 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 Bitdefender MDR or Thales (S21sec)?
Choose Bitdefender MDR if: organizations already on GravityZone wanting to add managed detection without changing their endpoint stack. Choose Thales (S21sec) if: critical infrastructure and public-sector buyers that need Thales/S21sec regional cyber detection and response. Bitdefender MDR is not ideal for organizations with existing non-Bitdefender EDR they want to keep (requires GravityZone agent). 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.