Cipher vs NCC Group
Cipher and NCC Group are both Services firms that work with your existing tools. Cipher targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations, while NCC Group serves Mid-market and Enterprise. Cipher includes 0 attack surfaces in base pricing (), compared to 4 for NCC Group (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Network).
Buyer brief
Cipher and NCC Group are both Services firms that work with your existing tools. Cipher targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations, while NCC Group serves Mid-market and Enterprise. Cipher includes 0 attack surfaces in base pricing (), compared to 4 for NCC Group (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Network).
NCC Group offers broader coverage (4 surfaces vs. 0). Cipher may suit teams that need depth over breadth.
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Mid-market and enterprise buyers that want a managed service layered over existing security tools | European enterprise and government organizations running Microsoft Sentinel or Splunk as their SIEM |
| Price | Custom quote | Custom quote |
| Response authority | 0/6 actions · Approval required | 5/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Works with existing stack | Works with existing stack |
| Data access | Dashboards | Dashboards |
| Warranty | None listed | None listed |
- Best fit
- Mid-market and enterprise buyers that want a managed service layered over existing security tools
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 0/6 actions · Approval required
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
- Best fit
- European enterprise and government organizations running Microsoft Sentinel or Splunk as their SIEM
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 5/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
Detailed comparison
| FIELD | CipherTECH-AGNOSTIC | NCC GroupTECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | ||
| Target size | Mid-market, Enterprise | Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Mixed |
| Your stack | ||
| Approach | Works with your tools | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | Customer EDR | Microsoft DefenderCrowdStrike |
| SIEM integrations | None listed | Microsoft SentinelSplunk |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: LimitedCloudCloud: LimitedIDIdentity: Not coveredSaaSSaaS: Not coveredNetNetwork: LimitedOTOT/IoT: Not covered | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Not covered |
| Response | ||
| Response type | Guided Response | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Approval Required | Configurable |
| Response actions | Alert and notify only | IsolateKill processContainQuarantineCustom playbooks |
| IR included | Separate | ✓ Included |
| Cost | ||
| Price range | Not published | Not published. Custom quotes only. |
| Minimum seats | None | None |
| Breach warranty | – | – |
| More details | ||
| Requires own agent | No | No |
| Endpoints | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| Cloud workloads | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| Identity | Not offered | ~ Limited |
| SaaS apps | Not offered | ✓ Included |
| Network | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| OT/ICS | Not offered | Not offered |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Custom quote. Cipher does not publish xMDR package pricing. | Not published. Custom quotes. Evidence of large-scale enterprise pricing: EUR 25M+ contract for Netherlands university consortium (23+ universities, 5-year term). |
| Hidden cost warnings | Cipher says xMDR works with the existing technology stack, so buyers should confirm which tools are included in the quote and what integration work is extra.. Public pages do not publish response SLAs, contract minimums or service-credit language.. The site names EDR and IPS/IDS integration but does not publish named vendor integrations.. Response wording is broad, so buyers should document pre-approved actions before go-live. | MXDR for Microsoft and MXDR for Splunk are separate offerings. Customers using both Sentinel and Splunk may face separate engagements.. Only Microsoft Defender and CrowdStrike EDR integrations are confirmed. Other EDR platforms may not be supported.. Post-breach advisory limited to 2 hours included. Full IR engagement is a separate NCC Group consulting purchase.. SIEM licensing (Microsoft Sentinel or Splunk) is the customer's cost, not included in MXDR pricing |
| Data portability | Partial | Partial |
| Contract terms | Custom, xMDR Services, xMDR Platform | Annual, Multi-year |
| Channels | Portal | EmailPortalPhone |
| Data access | Dashboards | Dashboards |
| Dedicated analyst | – | – |
| SOC regions | North AmericaEuropeLATAM | Europe |
| Onboarding | Cipher advertises 20 days for full service activation, but buyers should confirm scope and contract timing. | Weeks, not months (vendor claim). Uses infrastructure-as-code deployment. Exact timeline not published. |
| Industry focus | HealthcareProfessional ServicesPayments | GovernmentHigher EducationFinancial ServicesManufacturingEnergyTelecommunications |
| MTTD | Not published | Not published |
| MTTR | Not published | 25 minutes average time to close (vendor-published). 95% of threats resolved within 2 hours. |
| Community view | No meaningful MDR-specific buyer-review signal was found in major English-language review communities during this pass. The public buyer case rests on Cipher's Prosegur ownership, xMDR Platform, 24/7 SOC claim, six-SOC footprint, portal access and existing-stack positioning. Buyers should validate pricing, response authority, named integrations and SOC delivery details directly. | Strong analyst recognition: Forrester Wave MDR Europe Q3 2025 Strong Performer, IDC MarketScape European MDR 2024 Leader. Virtually no practitioner reviews on G2 (not MDR-specific), PeerSpot (0 reviews, ranked 43rd in MDR), or Reddit. Analyst praise for threat hunting and consultative approach, but buyers cannot reference peer experiences. |
| Compliance | ISO 27001ISO 22301ISO 20000ISO 9001SOC 1SOC 2PCI DSSCREST | ISO 27001:2022ISO 9001:2015PCI QSAPCI ASV |
| Certifications | ISO 27001ISO 22301ISO 20000ISO 9001SOC ISOC IIPCI QSAPCI ASVCRESTTF-CSIRTCIPHER-CSIRT RFC2350 | ISO 27001:2022ISO 9001:2015PCI Qualified Security Assessor (QSA)PCI Approved Scan Vendor (ASV)FedRAMP 3PAO (Third-Party Assessment Organization) |
| Founded | – | 1999 |
| Data retention | Cipher says all platform information is online 24/7 and available from any device. No public standard MDR data-retention period was found. | Not published. |
| API available | – | ✓ |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
FAQ
What is the main difference between Cipher and NCC Group?
Cipher is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). NCC Group is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Cipher covers 0 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 4 for NCC Group.
How do Cipher and NCC Group differ in response capabilities?
Cipher supports 0 autonomous actions (none) and requires approval before acting. NCC Group supports 5 autonomous actions (custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable. Incident response is not included with Cipher and included with NCC Group.
How does Cipher pricing compare to NCC Group?
Cipher pricing: Not published. NCC Group pricing: Not published. Custom quotes only.. Watch for with Cipher: Cipher says xMDR works with the existing technology stack, so buyers should confirm which tools are included in the quote and what integration work is extra.; Public pages do not publish response SLAs, contract minimums or service-credit language.. Watch for with NCC Group: MXDR for Microsoft and MXDR for Splunk are separate offerings. Customers using both Sentinel and Splunk may face separate engagements.; Only Microsoft Defender and CrowdStrike EDR integrations are confirmed. Other EDR platforms may not be supported..
Should I choose Cipher or NCC Group?
Choose Cipher if: mid-market and enterprise buyers that want a managed service layered over existing security tools. Choose NCC Group if: european enterprise and government organizations running Microsoft Sentinel or Splunk as their SIEM. Cipher is not ideal for buyers that need public MDR pricing before sales. NCC Group is not ideal for organizations running a SIEM other than Microsoft Sentinel or Splunk (only two supported).
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.