Performanta vs WatchGuard
Performanta is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. WatchGuard is a MSP-channel that works with your existing tools. Performanta targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; WatchGuard serves SMB and Mid-market. Performanta includes 2 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Identity), compared to 5 for WatchGuard (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network).
Buyer brief
Performanta is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. WatchGuard is a MSP-channel that works with your existing tools. Performanta targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; WatchGuard serves SMB and Mid-market. Performanta includes 2 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Identity), compared to 5 for WatchGuard (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network).
Performanta (Services firm) and WatchGuard (MSP-channel) serve different buyer profiles. Your decision depends on whether you prioritize Performanta's performanta fits buyers that want microsoft-centered mdr with safe xdr, managed soc and incident-... or WatchGuard's watchguard mdr is strongest for msps that already standardize on watchguard or want a managed soc....
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Buyers already committed to Microsoft Defender and Sentinel that want a services firm to manage detection and response | MSPs already selling WatchGuard Firebox, AuthPoint or Endpoint Security who want to add managed SOC coverage |
| Price | Custom quote | Custom quote |
| Response authority | 1/6 actions · Configurable | 3/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Works with existing stack | Works with existing stack |
| Data access | Dashboards | Dashboards |
| Warranty | None listed | None listed |
- Best fit
- Buyers already committed to Microsoft Defender and Sentinel that want a services firm to manage detection and response
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 1/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
- Best fit
- MSPs already selling WatchGuard Firebox, AuthPoint or Endpoint Security who want to add managed SOC coverage
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 3/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
Detailed comparison
| FIELD | PerformantaTECH-AGNOSTIC | WatchGuardTECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | ||
| Target size | Mid-market, Enterprise | SMB, Mid-market |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Mixed |
| Your stack | ||
| Approach | Works with your tools | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | Microsoft Defender | WatchGuard Endpoint SecurityCrowdStrike Microsoft Defender |
| SIEM integrations | Microsoft Sentinel | WatchGuard Cloud |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: LimitedIDIdentity: CoveredSaaSSaaS: LimitedNetNetwork: LimitedOTOT/IoT: Not covered | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: CoveredSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Not covered |
| Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | Custom playbooks | IsolateContainCustom 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 | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| Identity | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| SaaS apps | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| Network | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| OT/ICS | Not offered | Not offered |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Custom quote. Performanta does not publish MDR, Safe XDR or managed SOC package pricing. | Per licensed user or endpoint through WatchGuard service-provider licensing. Core MDR, Core MDR for Microsoft, Total MDR and Open MDR are separate package options. |
| Hidden cost warnings | Public pages do not publish MDR pricing, contract minimums or service-credit language.. The explicit MDR offer is tied to Defender for Endpoint, so Microsoft licensing and customer tenant readiness can drive total cost.. Public pages do not define default MDR response authority, so buyers need the managed-technology boundary in writing.. Cloud and SaaS coverage appear tied to Microsoft security controls and Safe XDR scope, so non-Microsoft telemetry should be confirmed early.. Incident response is listed as a consulting service, so buyers should confirm what is included in MDR versus a separate incident-response engagement. | WatchGuard publishes package requirements but not public MDR pricing, so buyers need an MSP or WatchGuard quote before cost comparison.. The package names hide meaningful scope differences: Core MDR and Core MDR for Microsoft are narrower than Total MDR and Open MDR.. Open MDR can use existing tools, but buyers still need valid third-party licenses and permissions for each monitored source.. License expiration disables Managed Services portal access and stops MDR monitoring after the grace period.. Core MDR for Microsoft data is deleted after expiration if not renewed within the grace period. |
| Data portability | Partial | Limited |
| Contract terms | Custom, Managed SOC, Safe XDR, MDR for Defender for Endpoint | Subscription, Term license, 1 year, 3 years |
| Channels | PortalEmailPhone | PortalEmailPhone |
| Data access | Dashboards | Dashboards |
| Dedicated analyst | – | ✓ |
| SOC regions | EuropeAfrica | North AmericaEuropeAsia-Pacific |
| Onboarding | Not published. Performanta describes scoping, discovery, prioritisation, validation and mobilisation stages for Safe XDR, but no standard implementation duration was found. | Vendor states onboarding can be completed in hours. April 2026 release notes added direct onboarding from WatchGuard Cloud. |
| Industry focus | Financial ServicesEducationHealthcareGovernmentRetailProfessional ServicesAgricultureTelecommunicationsManufacturingTransportationTourism | Managed Service ProvidersHealthcareFinancial ServicesRetailTechnology |
| MTTD | Not published | Not published |
| MTTR | Not published | 6 minutes mean time to first response on critical alerts (vendor-published, not a full MTTR metric). |
| Community view | No meaningful MDR-specific buyer-review signal was found in major English-language review communities during this pass. The public buyer case rests on Performanta's Microsoft security focus, UK and South Africa SOC operations, Safe XDR platform, threat-hunting process and incident-response consulting depth. Buyers should validate pricing, response authority, non-Microsoft telemetry support and exact incident-response inclusion directly. | WatchGuard has a strong MSP installed base, but WatchGuard MDR is newer and public MDR-specific review volume is still thin. Reddit discussion in MSP communities is mixed: some MSPs like having EDR, MDR, firewall and MFA in one platform, while others say the endpoint and MDR stack needs more time to mature. |
| Compliance | – | ISO 27001GDPRFIPS 140-2Common Criteria |
| Certifications | – | WatchGuard Cloud ISO/IEC 27001:2022Firebox FIPS 140-2Firebox Common Criteria EAL4+WatchGuard Endpoint Security CCN High ENSWatchGuard Endpoint Security Common Criteria EAL2+ |
| Founded | 2010 | 1996 |
| Data retention | Not published. Performanta says it monitors customer environments and SIEM platforms, but no standard public MDR log-retention period or data-residency term was found. | Not published as a standard MDR retention period. WatchGuard Core MDR for Microsoft data is deleted after license expiration if not renewed within the grace period. |
| API available | – | ✓ |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
FAQ
What is the main difference between Performanta and WatchGuard?
Performanta is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). WatchGuard is a MSP-channel that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Performanta covers 2 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 5 for WatchGuard.
How do Performanta and WatchGuard differ in response capabilities?
Performanta supports 1 autonomous actions (custom playbooks) and approval is configurable. WatchGuard supports 3 autonomous actions (custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, network containment) and approval is configurable. Incident response is not included with Performanta and included with WatchGuard.
How does Performanta pricing compare to WatchGuard?
Performanta pricing: Not published. WatchGuard pricing: Not published. Watch for with Performanta: Public pages do not publish MDR pricing, contract minimums or service-credit language.; The explicit MDR offer is tied to Defender for Endpoint, so Microsoft licensing and customer tenant readiness can drive total cost.. Watch for with WatchGuard: WatchGuard publishes package requirements but not public MDR pricing, so buyers need an MSP or WatchGuard quote before cost comparison.; The package names hide meaningful scope differences: Core MDR and Core MDR for Microsoft are narrower than Total MDR and Open MDR..
Should I choose Performanta or WatchGuard?
Choose Performanta if: buyers already committed to Microsoft Defender and Sentinel that want a services firm to manage detection and response. Choose WatchGuard if: mSPs already selling WatchGuard Firebox, AuthPoint or Endpoint Security who want to add managed SOC coverage. Performanta is not ideal for buyers that need public MDR pricing before sales. WatchGuard is not ideal for direct enterprise buyers who want a mature, analyst-validated MDR service with deep public review volume.
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.