Field Effect vs Secureworks: MDR Comparison 2026
Field Effect (MDR provider) and Secureworks (Services firm) take different approaches to managed detection and response. Field Effect requires its own security platform, while Secureworks works with your existing tools. Field Effect targets SMB and Mid-market organizations; Secureworks focuses on Mid-market and Enterprise. Field Effect includes 5 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network), compared to 4 for Secureworks (Endpoint, Cloud, Identity, Network).
Key Differences at a Glance
Winner by Category
Field Effect vs Secureworks: Which Should You Choose?
Choose Field Effect if:
- •SMBs and MSPs wanting affordable, easy-to-deploy MDR with published per-user pricing
- •Canadian organizations needing domestic data hosting and PIPEDA compliance
- •Healthcare, government, and defense contractors needing HIPAA/CMMC/NIST compliance support
- •You need SaaS coverage included in base pricing
Choose Secureworks if:
- •Organizations valuing deep threat intelligence (CTU now part of Sophos X-Ops, still actively publishing)
- •Companies needing OT/ICS MDR coverage (Dragos, Claroty, Nozomi, SCADAfence integrations)
- •Financial services organizations needing FFIEC-examined technology service provider
Bottom line: Field Effect is the choice if you want a single-vendor stack with deep integration. Secureworks is better if you have existing tools and want flexibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between Field Effect and Secureworks?
Field Effect is a MDR provider that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). Secureworks is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). SLA commitments differ: Field Effect offers Not disclosed, Secureworks offers ≤1 hour. Field Effect covers 5 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 4 for Secureworks.
How do Field Effect and Secureworks differ in response capabilities?
Field Effect supports 5 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, process termination, network containment, account disable, file quarantine) and approval is configurable. Secureworks supports 4 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, network containment, account disable, custom playbooks) and approval is configurable. Incident response is not included with Field Effect and included with Secureworks.
How does Field Effect pricing compare to Secureworks?
Field Effect pricing: MDR Core: $99/user/month (ideal for <=25 users). MDR Complete: custom pricing (larger organizations, compliance requirements).. Secureworks pricing: PeerSpot community reports: ~$60K-$320K+/year depending on environment. One user: initial $160-170/endpoint negotiated to $110/endpoint. Another: ~$70 USD/agent/year with volume discounts. Available on AWS and Azure Marketplaces.. Watch for with Field Effect: MDR Core excludes network monitoring, DNS firewall, and dark web monitoring — significant feature gap vs Complete; $99/user adds up quickly — 50 users = $4,950/month. Watch for with Secureworks: Sophos acquisition completed Feb 2025 — Taegis integration into Sophos Central underway, long-term platform consolidation likely; ~6% workforce reduction (~380 roles) in Feb 2025 post-acquisition — analyst continuity should be verified.
Should I choose Field Effect or Secureworks?
Choose Field Effect if: sMBs and MSPs wanting affordable, easy-to-deploy MDR with published per-user pricing. Choose Secureworks if: enterprise organizations wanting open XDR with existing CrowdStrike, Microsoft Defender, SentinelOne, or Carbon Black EDR investments. Field Effect is not ideal for organizations with existing CrowdStrike/SentinelOne/Defender deployments — requires proprietary Field Effect agent. Secureworks is not ideal for enterprise organizations concerned about Sophos's SMB/mid-market heritage and whether Taegis enterprise investment continues.