Choose MAD Security or Optiv
Choose MAD Security if
- Defense contractors and government contractors that need MDR evidence aligned to DFARS, CMMC and NIST requirements
- Regulated organizations that want SOC monitoring plus compliance documentation rather than endpoint alerts alone
- Maritime, public sector or DIB buyers that value a U.S.-based SOC and compliance-aware escalation
Choose Optiv if
- Enterprises with a multi-vendor security stack that want a managed layer without replacing core tools
- Teams standardizing on Google Security Operations or evaluating Google SecOps as their detection platform
- Organizations modernizing an existing SOC while needing 24/7 analyst coverage
- You need Cloud and SaaS and Identity and Network coverage included in base pricing
What’s actually different
Buyer brief
Fit. MAD Security and Optiv are both Services firms that work with your existing tools. MAD Security targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations, while Optiv serves Mid-market and Enterprise. MAD Security includes 1 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint), compared to 5 for Optiv (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network).
FAQ
What is the main difference between MAD Security and Optiv?
MAD Security is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Optiv is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). MAD Security covers 1 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 5 for Optiv.
How do MAD Security and Optiv differ in response capabilities?
MAD Security supports 1 autonomous actions (custom playbooks) and approval is configurable. Optiv supports 4 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, network containment, account disable, custom playbooks) and approval is configurable.
How does MAD Security pricing compare to Optiv?
MAD Security pricing: Custom pricing. A vendor-published MAD Security cost-comparison PDF gives $24,000-$90,000 per year as an example average for SMB managed security services, but it is not an MDR-specific quote and says pricing varies.. Optiv pricing: Not published. Watch for with MAD Security: Confirm whether MDR is quoted as a standalone endpoint service or bundled into SOC-as-a-Service.; Confirm whether NDR, cloud telemetry, identity correlation and OT/IT monitoring are included or separate services.. Watch for with Optiv: Optiv MDR is built for complex environments; buyers should model Google Security Operations ingestion and retention volume before comparing it with per-endpoint MDR quotes.; The service can manage many existing tools, but those EDR, identity, cloud and network tools remain separate licensing costs..