Capgemini vs Critical Start
Capgemini is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. Critical Start is a Pure-play MDR that works with your existing tools. Capgemini targets Enterprise organizations; Critical Start serves Mid-market and Enterprise. Capgemini includes 3 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, Network), compared to 5 for Critical Start (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network).
Buyer brief
Capgemini is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. Critical Start is a Pure-play MDR that works with your existing tools. Capgemini targets Enterprise organizations; Critical Start serves Mid-market and Enterprise. Capgemini includes 3 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, Network), compared to 5 for Critical Start (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network).
Capgemini (Services firm) and Critical Start (Pure-play MDR) serve different buyer profiles. Your decision depends on whether you prioritize Capgemini's capgemini is strongest when mdr is part of a larger enterprise security-operations agenda: manage... or Critical Start's technology-agnostic mdr with tbr deterministic alert auto-resolution, 100+ integrations, ot/ics s....
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Large enterprises that want a global services partner for MDR plus SOC transformation | Mid-market to large enterprises wanting technology-agnostic MDR that works with their existing security stack |
| Price | Custom quote | Not published |
| Response authority | 2/6 actions · Configurable | 6/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Works with existing stack | Works with existing stack |
| Data access | Reports only | Dashboards |
| Warranty | None listed | None listed |
- Best fit
- Large enterprises that want a global services partner for MDR plus SOC transformation
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 2/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Reports only
- Warranty
- None listed
- Best fit
- Mid-market to large enterprises wanting technology-agnostic MDR that works with their existing security stack
- Price
- Not published
- Response authority
- 6/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
Detailed comparison
| FIELD | CapgeminiTECH-AGNOSTIC | Critical StartTECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | ||
| Target size | Enterprise | Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Positive |
| Your stack | ||
| Approach | Works with your tools | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | Customer endpoint security tools | CrowdStrikeSentinelOneMicrosoft DefenderPalo Alto Cortex |
| SIEM integrations | Customer SIEM platforms Microsoft Sentinel | SplunkSumo Logic Microsoft Sentinel |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: LimitedNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Limited | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: CoveredSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on |
| Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | ContainCustom playbooks | IsolateKill processContainDisable accountsQuarantineCustom playbooks |
| IR included | ✓ Included | Separate |
| Cost | ||
| Price range | Not published | Not published |
| Minimum seats | None | None |
| Breach warranty | – | – |
| More details | ||
| Requires own agent | No | No |
| Endpoints | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Cloud workloads | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Identity | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| SaaS apps | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| Network | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| OT/ICS | ~ Limited | + Optional |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | Not disclosed | ≤1 hour |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Custom enterprise quote by service scope, technology stack, Cyber Defense Center model and transformation requirements. Public prices are not published. | Custom enterprise pricing (annual subscription, tiered by coverage depth) |
| Hidden cost warnings | Capgemini is a global services firm, so scope, tooling, response authority and transformation work should be specified precisely in the statement of work.. Public pages do not publish pricing, minimum terms, service credits, MTTD, MTTR or a contractual response SLA.. Microsoft Sentinel-powered Cyber Defense Centers may require separate Microsoft licensing and data-ingestion planning.. Threat hunting, DFIR, vulnerability management and offensive security are all public offers, but buyers should confirm which are included in the base MDR scope versus separate workstreams.. Public materials do not disclose log retention, raw data export rights or detection-content portability. | No public pricing at all, requires sales call for any ballpark. OT/ICS monitoring and vulnerability management are separate purchases on top of base MDR. Full IR/DFIR requires separate CIRT engagement, not included in MDR contract. Annual contract commitment typically required with no published minimum seat count |
| Data portability | Partial | Partial |
| Contract terms | Continuous Vigilance, Managed Detection and Response, Managed SOC, SOC Transformation, Cyber Defense Centers powered by Microsoft Sentinel, Custom cybersecurity services engagement | Annual, Multi-year |
| Channels | EmailPortalPhoneTeams | EmailPortalPhone |
| Data access | Reports only | Dashboards |
| Dedicated analyst | – | ✓ |
| SOC regions | North AmericaEuropeAPACLATAMMEA | North America |
| Onboarding | Not published. Capgemini positions the service as a custom enterprise engagement delivered through global Cyber Defense Centers. | 5-10 business days to first detection value (vendor-stated). 4-6 weeks for full enterprise onboarding. Vendor claims 2.66-day median TTFV for Microsoft Sentinel specifically. |
| Industry focus | Financial ServicesEnergyUtilitiesManufacturingAutomotiveHealthcarePublic SectorTelecommunicationsTechnology | Financial ServicesHealthcareManufacturingTechnologyGovernmentProfessional ServicesRetailTransportation |
| MTTD | Not published | Not published |
| MTTR | Not published | 60 minutes or less median time to resolution for ALL alerts regardless of priority |
| Community view | Capgemini has strong official evidence for enterprise-scale cybersecurity, Continuous Vigilance, MDR, Managed SOC, global Cyber Defense Centers, DFIR and threat hunting, but limited public buyer-review signal for the MDR service as a distinct product. Diligence should focus on service scope, response authority, tooling, staffing model, retention and pricing. | Gartner Peer Insights 4.8/5 (53 reviews). PeerSpot 9.4/10, skewing large enterprise. Glassdoor 4.3/5 (140 reviews, some concerns about RIFs and turnover). IDC MarketScape Major Player (Emerging MDR, 2024). Praised for TBR noise reduction and SOC analyst accessibility. Criticized for onboarding communication gaps, missing Slack integration and opaque pricing. |
| Compliance | DORA | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001 |
| Certifications | – | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001MISA (Microsoft Intelligent Security Association)Microsoft Solutions Partner for Security |
| Founded | 1967 | 2012 |
| Data retention | Not published. Public Continuous Vigilance pages do not disclose default log retention, archive tiers or export rights. | CORR platform provides API access and data export (CSV/XLSX). Specific retention periods not publicly documented. |
| API available | – | ✓ |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
FAQ
What is the main difference between Capgemini and Critical Start?
Capgemini is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Critical Start is a Pure-play MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). SLA commitments differ: Capgemini offers Not disclosed, Critical Start offers ≤1 hour. Capgemini covers 3 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 5 for Critical Start.
How do Capgemini and Critical Start differ in response capabilities?
Capgemini supports 2 autonomous actions (custom playbooks, network containment) and approval is configurable. Critical Start supports 6 autonomous actions (account disable, custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable. Incident response is included with Capgemini and not included with Critical Start.
How does Capgemini pricing compare to Critical Start?
Capgemini pricing: Not published. Critical Start pricing: Custom-quoted pricing. Watch for with Capgemini: Capgemini is a global services firm, so scope, tooling, response authority and transformation work should be specified precisely in the statement of work.; Public pages do not publish pricing, minimum terms, service credits, MTTD, MTTR or a contractual response SLA.. Watch for with Critical Start: No public pricing at all, requires sales call for any ballpark; OT/ICS monitoring and vulnerability management are separate purchases on top of base MDR.
Should I choose Capgemini or Critical Start?
Choose Capgemini if: large enterprises that want a global services partner for MDR plus SOC transformation. Choose Critical Start if: mid-market to large enterprises wanting technology-agnostic MDR that works with their existing security stack. Capgemini is not ideal for sMBs seeking transparent per-endpoint MDR pricing. Critical Start is not ideal for sMBs or budget-conscious organizations, enterprise-focused pricing not published.
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.