ConnectWise vs Northwave
ConnectWise is a MSP-channel that requires its own security platform. Northwave is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. ConnectWise targets SMB and Mid-market organizations; Northwave serves Mid-market and Enterprise. ConnectWise includes 4 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Network), compared to 2 for Northwave (Endpoint, Network).
Buyer brief
ConnectWise is a MSP-channel that requires its own security platform. Northwave is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. ConnectWise targets SMB and Mid-market organizations; Northwave serves Mid-market and Enterprise. ConnectWise includes 4 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Network), compared to 2 for Northwave (Endpoint, Network).
ConnectWise is the choice if you want a single-vendor stack with deep integration. Northwave is better if you have existing tools and want flexibility.
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | MSPs already in the ConnectWise ecosystem (PSA, RMM) who want MDR without a separate vendor relationship | Benelux, DACH and Nordic buyers that want European MDR with a Utrecht SOC |
| Price | Custom quote | Custom quote |
| Response authority | 5/6 actions · Configurable | 1/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Requires own platform | Works with existing stack |
| Data access | Dashboards | Dashboards |
| Warranty | None listed | None listed |
- Best fit
- MSPs already in the ConnectWise ecosystem (PSA, RMM) who want MDR without a separate vendor relationship
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 5/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Requires own platform
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
- Best fit
- Benelux, DACH and Nordic buyers that want European MDR with a Utrecht SOC
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 1/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
›› Detailed comparison
| FIELD | ConnectWisePLATFORM | NorthwaveTECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| ›› Fit | ||
| Target size | SMB, Mid-market | Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Mixed |
| ›› Your stack | ||
| Approach | Requires their platform | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | BitdefenderSentinelOneMicrosoft Defender | Customer endpoint telemetry |
| SIEM integrations | ConnectWise SIEM | Customer log sources |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: Optional add-onSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Not covered | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: LimitedIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: Not coveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on |
| ›› Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | IsolateKill processContainQuarantineCustom playbooks | Custom playbooks |
| IR included | Separate | Separate |
| ›› Cost | ||
| Price range | Not publicly disclosed. Requires custom quote through MSP channel. | Not published |
| Minimum seats | None | None |
| Breach warranty | – | – |
| ›› More details | ||
| Requires own agent | No | No |
| Endpoints | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Cloud workloads | ✓ Included | ~ Limited |
| Identity | + Optional | ~ Limited |
| SaaS apps | ✓ Included | Not offered |
| Network | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| OT/ICS | Not offered | + Optional |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | ≤15 minutes | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Per-endpoint, MSP subscription. Not publicly listed. | Custom quote. Northwave does not publish MDR package pricing. |
| Hidden cost warnings | Pricing requires sales engagement, no self-serve. Ecosystem lock-in through ConnectWise RMM and PSA bundling. 12-36 month agreements typical. Data export is difficult when switching providers | Public pages do not publish response SLAs or named default response actions.. Rapid Response is a separate related service, so buyers should confirm what incident-response support is included in base MDR.. Cloud, SaaS and identity coverage are not named as clearly as endpoint, log and network telemetry.. Detection tuning depends on onboarding log sources and threat-based use cases, which may affect deployment effort. |
| Data portability | Limited | Partial |
| Contract terms | Annual, Multi-year | Custom |
| Channels | EmailPortalPhone | PortalEmailPhone |
| Data access | Dashboards | Dashboards |
| Dedicated analyst | ✓ | – |
| SOC regions | North AmericaAPAC | Europe |
| Onboarding | Not publicly documented for full MDR. SIEM component described as agent-based, deployable in minutes. | Northwave says implementation starts with a plan covering service elements, phases, planning and threat-based use cases, then onboarding log sources and processes. No standard public onboarding duration was found. |
| Industry focus | Managed Service Providers | Financial ServicesHealthcareManufacturingLogisticsTechnologyPublic SectorCritical Infrastructure |
| MTTD | Not published | Not published |
| MTTR | Under 14 minutes average ransomware response time (vendor-published). Asio platform claims 30-50% faster detection through unified alerts. Specific MTTD not published. | Not published |
| Community view | ConnectWise SIEM has Capterra 4.6/5 from ~50 reviews. ConnectWise MDR has almost no independent reviews. PeerSpot ranks it #57 in MDR with 0.4% mindshare and zero collected reviews. Not included in Gartner or Forrester MDR evaluations. | Northwave has limited MDR-specific public review volume. The public buyer case rests on European delivery, Utrecht SOC operations and the connection between MDR, CERT, red team and threat research. Buyers should validate response authority, cloud and identity coverage, pricing and escalation rules before signing. |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type II | NIS2ISO 27001GDPRTISAX |
| Certifications | SOC 2 Type II | – |
| Founded | 1982 | 2006 |
| Data retention | SIEM log retention available but specific periods not publicly documented. Capterra reviewers have flagged retention as problematic for audit compliance. | Not published as a standard MDR retention period. |
| API available | ✓ | – |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
›› FAQ
What is the main difference between ConnectWise and Northwave?
ConnectWise is a MSP-channel that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). Northwave is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). SLA commitments differ: ConnectWise offers ≤15 minutes, Northwave offers Not disclosed. ConnectWise covers 4 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 2 for Northwave.
How do ConnectWise and Northwave differ in response capabilities?
ConnectWise supports 5 autonomous actions (custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable. Northwave supports 1 autonomous actions (custom playbooks) and approval is configurable.
How does ConnectWise pricing compare to Northwave?
ConnectWise pricing: Not publicly disclosed. Requires custom quote through MSP channel.. Northwave pricing: Not published. Watch for with ConnectWise: Pricing requires sales engagement, no self-serve; Ecosystem lock-in through ConnectWise RMM and PSA bundling. Watch for with Northwave: Public pages do not publish response SLAs or named default response actions.; Rapid Response is a separate related service, so buyers should confirm what incident-response support is included in base MDR..
Should I choose ConnectWise or Northwave?
Choose ConnectWise if: mSPs already in the ConnectWise ecosystem (PSA, RMM) who want MDR without a separate vendor relationship. Choose Northwave if: benelux, DACH and Nordic buyers that want European MDR with a Utrecht SOC. ConnectWise is not ideal for direct enterprise buyers, ConnectWise MDR is sold through MSP partners only. Northwave is not ideal for buyers that need public MDR pricing or response SLAs before engaging sales.
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.