Gradient Cyber vs r-tec IT Security
Gradient Cyber is a Pure-play MDR that works with your existing tools. r-tec IT Security is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. Gradient Cyber targets Mid-market organizations; r-tec IT Security serves Mid-market and Enterprise. Gradient Cyber includes 5 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network), compared to 0 for r-tec IT Security ().
Buyer brief
Gradient Cyber is a Pure-play MDR that works with your existing tools. r-tec IT Security is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. Gradient Cyber targets Mid-market organizations; r-tec IT Security serves Mid-market and Enterprise. Gradient Cyber includes 5 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network), compared to 0 for r-tec IT Security ().
Gradient Cyber (Pure-play MDR) and r-tec IT Security (Services firm) serve different buyer profiles. Your decision depends on whether you prioritize Gradient Cyber's mid-market specialist that owns its platform, soc, and analyst team or r-tec IT Security's r-tec mdr fits german buyers that need 24x7 detection, incident-response depth and a path to ot mdr.
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Maritime and transportation organizations needing OT visibility alongside IT security | German mid-market and enterprise buyers that want MDR from a services firm with incident-response depth |
| Price | Not published | Custom quote |
| Response authority | 5/6 actions · Configurable | 1/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Works with existing stack | Works with existing stack |
| Data access | Dashboards | Dashboards |
| Warranty | None listed | None listed |
- Best fit
- Maritime and transportation organizations needing OT visibility alongside IT security
- Price
- Not published
- Response authority
- 5/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
- Best fit
- German mid-market and enterprise buyers that want MDR from a services firm with incident-response depth
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 1/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
Detailed comparison
| FIELD | Gradient CyberTECH-AGNOSTIC | r-tec IT SecurityTECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | ||
| Target size | Mid-market | Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Mixed |
| Your stack | ||
| Approach | Works with your tools | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | Microsoft Defender for EndpointSentinelOne SingularityVMware Carbon BlackCisco Secure EndpointFortinet FortiEDRSophos CentralDeep Instinct | CrowdStrikeMicrosoft Defender XDR |
| SIEM integrations | Quorum AI native data lake (open XDR approach, works with or without customer SIEM) | ExabeamMicrosoft Sentinel |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: CoveredSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on | EPEndpoint: LimitedCloudCloud: Not coveredIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: Not coveredNetNetwork: LimitedOTOT/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 | ✓ 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 | ✓ Included | Not offered |
| Identity | ✓ Included | ~ Limited |
| SaaS apps | ✓ Included | Not offered |
| Network | ✓ Included | ~ Limited |
| OT/ICS | + Optional | + Optional |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | Not disclosed | ≤1 hour |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Custom pricing based on environment size and coverage areas. Positioned for mid-market budgets, but no public pricing available. | Tiered custom quote. r-tec publishes Basic and Premium MDR tiers but does not publish prices. |
| Hidden cost warnings | No public pricing. You will need a custom quote and have no benchmark to negotiate against.. Network sensors may require on-premises hardware deployment. Ask about hardware costs.. Active containment (isolate, quarantine, kill) is included, but full incident response and forensics beyond containment may require a separate professional services engagement. Clarify exactly where that line is.. Monthly reviews only, not quarterly business reviews like some competitors offer. | Premium is required for 24x7 service times and the 1-hour qualification and First Response target.. Basic still has 24x7 automated detection and alerting, but human service hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00-18:00.. Public pages do not publish prices or contract minimums.. Optional direct response should be converted into a written pre-approval matrix.. Endpoint telemetry may depend on contracted CrowdStrike, Microsoft Defender XDR or Managed EDR scope.. OT MDR and Managed EDR are separate named services, so buyers should confirm whether they are included or quoted separately. |
| Data portability | Partial | Partial |
| Contract terms | Annual | Basic, Premium, Custom |
| Channels | EmailPortal | EmailPhone |
| Data access | Dashboards | Dashboards |
| Dedicated analyst | – | – |
| SOC regions | North AmericaEuropeAsia-Pacific | Europe |
| Onboarding | Days. Network sensors deploy quickly with minimal setup. Full deployment completed in less than a month. | r-tec says site collectors support simple and fast implementation, but no standard public onboarding duration was found. |
| Industry focus | HealthcareFinancial ServicesManufacturingGovernmentMaritime | Critical InfrastructureEnergyManufacturingOperational TechnologyHealthcareFinancial ServicesPublic SectorLogisticsAutomotiveChemicalsPharmaceuticals |
| MTTD | Not published | Not published |
| MTTR | Not published | Not published |
| Community view | Limited public review volume. Gartner Peer Insights 4.2/5 with 13 reviews, very small market presence. Praise centers on communication quality, ease of deployment, and false positive reduction. Complaints focus on challenging ongoing management, limited customization, and gaps between sales promises and actual capabilities. No Reddit discussions found. | r-tec has limited MDR-specific public review volume. The public buyer case rests on German delivery, a published IT MDR service, a separate OT MDR service, BSI APT-response status and clear Basic versus Premium service-level targets. Buyers should validate exact response authority, pricing, OT scope and the operating model behind Premium 24x7 service. |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001GDPRHIPAAFIPS 140-2 | ISO 27001ISO 9001KRITISGDPR |
| Certifications | SOC 2 Type II (annual third-party audit, verified via GlobeNewsWire Dec 2023)ISO 27001 (vendor-claimed, not independently verified)GDPR compliant (vendor-claimed)HIPAA compliant (vendor-claimed)FIPS 140-2 (vendor-claimed, likely via AWS infrastructure) | ISO 27001ISO 9001BSI-certified APT Response service providerEcoVadis Bronze group certification |
| Founded | 2017 | 1996 |
| Data retention | Longer-term storage for threat hunting, forensics, and reporting (specific retention period not published) | Not published as a standard MDR retention period. r-tec says Exabeam is operated as a cloud service from a German GDPR-compliant data center. |
| API available | ✓ | – |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
FAQ
What is the main difference between Gradient Cyber and r-tec IT Security?
Gradient Cyber is a Pure-play MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). r-tec IT Security is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). SLA commitments differ: Gradient Cyber offers Not disclosed, r-tec IT Security offers ≤1 hour. Gradient Cyber covers 5 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 0 for r-tec IT Security.
How do Gradient Cyber and r-tec IT Security differ in response capabilities?
Gradient Cyber supports 5 autonomous actions (custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable. r-tec IT Security supports 1 autonomous actions (custom playbooks) and approval is configurable. Incident response is not included with Gradient Cyber and included with r-tec IT Security.
How does Gradient Cyber pricing compare to r-tec IT Security?
Gradient Cyber pricing: Custom-quoted pricing. r-tec IT Security pricing: Not published. Watch for with Gradient Cyber: No public pricing. You will need a custom quote and have no benchmark to negotiate against.; Network sensors may require on-premises hardware deployment. Ask about hardware costs.. Watch for with r-tec IT Security: Premium is required for 24x7 service times and the 1-hour qualification and First Response target.; Basic still has 24x7 automated detection and alerting, but human service hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00-18:00..
Should I choose Gradient Cyber or r-tec IT Security?
Choose Gradient Cyber if: mid-market organizations (200-2,000 employees) with limited security staff wanting 24x7 monitoring and active endpoint response without hiring a SOC. Choose r-tec IT Security if: german mid-market and enterprise buyers that want MDR from a services firm with incident-response depth. Gradient Cyber is not ideal for sMBs under 200 employees or large enterprises over 5,000 employees (outside mid-market focus). r-tec IT Security is not ideal for buyers that need public price cards or contract minimums before sales engagement.
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.