Optiv vs Sapphire
Optiv and Sapphire are both Services firms that work with your existing tools. Optiv targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations, while Sapphire serves SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise. Optiv includes 5 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network), compared to 4 for Sapphire (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Network).
Buyer brief
Optiv and Sapphire are both Services firms that work with your existing tools. Optiv targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations, while Sapphire serves SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise. Optiv includes 5 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network), compared to 4 for Sapphire (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Network).
Optiv offers broader coverage (5 surfaces vs. 4). Sapphire may suit teams that need depth over breadth.
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Enterprises with a multi-vendor security stack that want a managed layer without replacing core tools | UK organisations that want MDR from a UK-owned provider with a UK-based CREST-accredited SOC |
| Price | Custom quote | Custom quote |
| Response authority | 4/6 actions · Configurable | 1/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Works with existing stack | Works with existing stack |
| Data access | Full query access | Dashboards |
| Warranty | None listed | None listed |
- Best fit
- Enterprises with a multi-vendor security stack that want a managed layer without replacing core tools
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 4/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Full query access
- Warranty
- None listed
- Best fit
- UK organisations that want MDR from a UK-owned provider with a UK-based CREST-accredited SOC
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 1/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
›› Detailed comparison
| FIELD | OptivTECH-AGNOSTIC | SapphireTECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| ›› Fit | ||
| Target size | Mid-market, Enterprise | SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Mixed |
| ›› Your stack | ||
| Approach | Works with your tools | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | Multi-vendor EDRMicrosoft DefenderCrowdStrikeSentinelOne | EDR toolsMicrosoft technologies |
| SIEM integrations | Google Security Operations | ExabeamSIEM tools |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: CoveredSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on |
| ›› Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | IsolateContainDisable accountsCustom 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 | ✓ Included |
| Cloud workloads | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Identity | ✓ Included | ~ Limited |
| SaaS apps | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Network | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| OT/ICS | + Optional | + Optional |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Custom enterprise pricing, with analyst coverage, Google Security Operations data processing, log management, data retention, active-defense hours and optional TAM/manual hunting scoped by environment. Optiv/KuppingerCole materials describe a data-processed pricing model. | Custom quote. Sapphire does not publish MDR package pricing. |
| Hidden cost warnings | 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.. Active defense is described as 40 hours per year. Clarify the hourly rate and escalation path once that allocation is consumed.. TAM and custom manual threat hunting are optional components, not baseline inclusions.. No public price floor, public SLA or breach warranty was found. | Public pages do not publish response SLAs or exact response-authority rules.. MDR, MXDR and OT SOC scope can differ materially, so buyers should define monitored surfaces in the order form.. The page publishes vendor-reported comparative metrics without independent methodology.. IR hours are included as standard, but buyers should confirm number of hours, coverage triggers and overage rates. |
| Data portability | Partial | Partial |
| Contract terms | Annual, Multi-year, Custom | Custom |
| Channels | PortalEmailPhone | PortalEmailPhone |
| Data access | Full query access | Dashboards |
| Dedicated analyst | ✓ | – |
| SOC regions | North America | Europe |
| Onboarding | Not published. Scope depends on data sources, Google Security Operations setup, detection content and SOAR playbook integration. | Sapphire references onboarding and implementation that can be shorter than expected, but no standard public MDR onboarding timeline was found. |
| Industry focus | Financial ServicesHealthcareManufacturingRetailTechnologyPublic Sector | Public SectorDefenceFinancial ServicesProfessional ServicesIndustrialsManufacturingOperational TechnologyHealthcare |
| MTTD | Not published | Not published |
| MTTR | Not published | Not published |
| Community view | Optiv has strong brand recognition as a large cyber advisory and technology-services firm, but MDR-specific peer review volume is thinner than for MDR-first vendors. Gartner Peer Insights lists Optiv reviews in managed security services rather than a separate high-volume MDR product page. Reddit discussion is mostly about Optiv as a reseller and services firm, not day-to-day MDR operations. | Sapphire has limited MDR-specific community review volume. The public buyer case is strongest for UK ownership, UK-based SOC delivery, CREST SOC accreditation and IT/OT services depth. Buyers should validate response authority, price, metrics and the exact split between MDR, MXDR, OT SOC and incident-response work. |
| Compliance | SOC 2ISO 27001PCI DSSHIPAAHITRUSTNIST CSFCMMC | ISO 27001NISTHIPAADORACyber Essentials PlusCRESTGDPRPCI DSS |
| Certifications | Optiv publishes support for compliance programs including SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, HIPAA, HITRUST, NIST CSF and CMMC. Specific MDR service audit-scope documents require buyer validation. | CREST SOCCREST Penetration TestingCyber Essentials PlusISO 27001 |
| Founded | 2015 | 1996 |
| Data retention | Optiv states 12 months of hot storage is available for on-demand access. Longer retention terms are not publicly described. | Not published as a standard MDR retention period. |
| API available | ✓ | – |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
›› FAQ
What is the main difference between Optiv and Sapphire?
Optiv is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Sapphire is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Optiv covers 5 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 4 for Sapphire.
How do Optiv and Sapphire differ in response capabilities?
Optiv supports 4 autonomous actions (account disable, custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, network containment) and approval is configurable. Sapphire supports 1 autonomous actions (custom playbooks) and approval is configurable. Incident response is not included with Optiv and included with Sapphire.
How does Optiv pricing compare to Sapphire?
Optiv pricing: Not published. Sapphire pricing: Not published. 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.. Watch for with Sapphire: Public pages do not publish response SLAs or exact response-authority rules.; MDR, MXDR and OT SOC scope can differ materially, so buyers should define monitored surfaces in the order form..
Should I choose Optiv or Sapphire?
Choose Optiv if: enterprises with a multi-vendor security stack that want a managed layer without replacing core tools. Choose Sapphire if: uK organisations that want MDR from a UK-owned provider with a UK-based CREST-accredited SOC. Optiv is not ideal for sMBs wanting simple per-endpoint MDR pricing. Sapphire is not ideal for buyers that need public MDR pricing or contractual response SLAs 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.