DirectDefense vs Thales (S21sec)
DirectDefense is a Pure-play MDR that works with your existing tools. Thales (S21sec) is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. DirectDefense targets SMB and Mid-market organizations; Thales (S21sec) serves Enterprise.
Buyer brief
DirectDefense is a Pure-play MDR that works with your existing tools. Thales (S21sec) is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. DirectDefense targets SMB and Mid-market organizations; Thales (S21sec) serves Enterprise.
DirectDefense (Pure-play MDR) and Thales (S21sec) (Services firm) serve different buyer profiles. Your decision depends on whether you prioritize DirectDefense's technology-agnostic mdr with soar-driven triage, offensive security dna, and ot/ics partnerships ... 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 organizations with an existing SIEM (Rapid7, Tenable, Sentinel) wanting managed SOC operations on top | Critical infrastructure and public-sector buyers that need Thales/S21sec regional cyber detection and response |
| Price | Not published | Custom quote |
| Response authority | 1/6 actions · Approval required | 2/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Works with existing stack | Works with existing stack |
| Data access | Dashboards | Reports only |
| Warranty | None listed | None listed |
- Best fit
- Mid-market organizations with an existing SIEM (Rapid7, Tenable, Sentinel) wanting managed SOC operations on top
- Price
- Not published
- Response authority
- 1/6 actions · Approval required
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Dashboards
- 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 | DirectDefenseTECH-AGNOSTIC | Thales (S21sec)TECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | ||
| Target size | SMB, Mid-market | Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Mixed |
| Your stack | ||
| Approach | Works with your tools | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | CrowdStrikeSentinelOneHalcyonCylance BlackBerry | Customer endpoint security tools |
| SIEM integrations | Rapid7TenableMicrosoft Sentinel | Customer SIEM platformsThales SOC tooling |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: Optional add-onIDIdentity: Not coveredSaaSSaaS: Not coveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on | EPEndpoint: LimitedCloudCloud: LimitedIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: LimitedNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Covered |
| Response | ||
| Response type | Guided Response | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Approval Required | Configurable |
| Response actions | Custom playbooks | ContainCustom playbooks |
| IR included | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Cost | ||
| Price range | Not published | Not published |
| Minimum seats | None | None |
| Breach warranty | – | – |
| More details | ||
| Requires own agent | No | No |
| Endpoints | ✓ Included | ~ Limited |
| Cloud workloads | + Optional | ~ Limited |
| Identity | Not offered | ~ Limited |
| SaaS apps | Not offered | ~ Limited |
| Network | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| OT/ICS | + Optional | ✓ Included |
| Threat hunting | Extra cost | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | ≤30 minutes | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Custom pricing based on endpoints, coverage scope, and service tier. Three tiers: Security Essentials (SMB vCISO + identity protection bundle), MDR + MSSP CORE (detection + IR retainer), MDR + MSSP MAX (full managed SOC + vulnerability management + email security). | Custom quote for Thales Cyber Detection and Response, Managed Security Services, SOC and MDR. Public prices are not published. |
| Hidden cost warnings | Requires existing SIEM or purchase of SIEM platform (Rapid7, Tenable, Microsoft Sentinel). Technology-agnostic model means you need to own the underlying security tools. OT/ICS coverage requires separate Claroty, Dragos, or SCADAfence licensing. Third-party estimates (Getlatka) suggest ~$55K average deal size, which is mid-market territory, not SMB-friendly except for the Security Essentials tier. No published pricing on the website makes cost comparison difficult before engaging sales. Identity threat protection and vCISO are only in the Security Essentials tier (separate from MDR), not in CORE or MAX | 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 | 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 America | EuropeMEAAPAC |
| Onboarding | Customized based on environment complexity. SIEM integration required for CORE and MAX tiers. | Not published. Thales describes customer-centric service roadmaps and selecting/deploying detection and response technologies, but no standard MDR onboarding timeline. |
| Industry focus | Financial ServicesInsuranceHealthcareManufacturingEnergy & UtilitiesAerospaceAutomotiveGaming & EntertainmentRetail & HospitalityEducationGovernment | Critical InfrastructureGovernmentDefenseEnergyManufacturingAviationSpaceFinancial ServicesTelecommunicationsHealthcareTransportationAutomotiveUtilitiesMaritime |
| MTTD | Not published | Not published |
| MTTR | Not published | Not published |
| Community view | Almost no public practitioner reviews. No presence on G2, PeerSpot, Gartner Peer Insights, or Reddit as of March 2026. Industry recognition includes MSSP Alert Top 250 (#128, 2024), CRN MSP 500 Security 100 (4th consecutive year), Inc. 5000 (#3924, 2024), and Globee Silver for Best Cybersecurity Service Provider (2025). Awards show vendor credibility but tell you nothing about day-to-day service quality from a buyer's perspective. | 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 IINIST CSF 2.0HIPAAPCI-DSS | DORATIBER-EUPCI DSSEASA Part-ISEASAICAOUNECE |
| Certifications | SOC 2 Type II | 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 | 2012 | – |
| Data retention | Per-contract basis, varies by SIEM platform and tier | 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 DirectDefense and Thales (S21sec)?
DirectDefense 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: DirectDefense offers ≤30 minutes, Thales (S21sec) offers Not disclosed.
How do DirectDefense and Thales (S21sec) differ in response capabilities?
DirectDefense supports 1 autonomous actions (custom playbooks) and requires approval before acting. Thales (S21sec) supports 2 autonomous actions (custom playbooks, network containment) and approval is configurable.
How does DirectDefense pricing compare to Thales (S21sec)?
DirectDefense pricing: Custom-quoted pricing. Thales (S21sec) pricing: Not published. Watch for with DirectDefense: Requires existing SIEM or purchase of SIEM platform (Rapid7, Tenable, Microsoft Sentinel); Technology-agnostic model means you need to own the underlying security tools. 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 DirectDefense or Thales (S21sec)?
Choose DirectDefense if: mid-market organizations with an existing SIEM (Rapid7, Tenable, Sentinel) wanting managed SOC operations on top. Choose Thales (S21sec) if: critical infrastructure and public-sector buyers that need Thales/S21sec regional cyber detection and response. DirectDefense is not ideal for organizations wanting turnkey MDR without existing SIEM or security tool investment. 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.