Thales (S21sec) vs UnderDefense
Thales (S21sec) is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. UnderDefense is a Pure-play MDR that works with your existing tools. Thales (S21sec) targets Enterprise organizations; UnderDefense serves Mid-market and Enterprise. Thales (S21sec) includes 2 attack surfaces in base pricing (Network, OT/ICS), compared to 5 for UnderDefense (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network).
Buyer brief
Thales (S21sec) is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. UnderDefense is a Pure-play MDR that works with your existing tools. Thales (S21sec) targets Enterprise organizations; UnderDefense serves Mid-market and Enterprise. Thales (S21sec) includes 2 attack surfaces in base pricing (Network, OT/ICS), compared to 5 for UnderDefense (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network).
Thales (S21sec) (Services firm) and UnderDefense (Pure-play MDR) serve different buyer profiles. Your decision depends on whether you prioritize Thales (S21sec)'s thales/s21sec is strongest for complex, regulated and critical-sector environments that value glo... or UnderDefense's works on top of your existing stack and keeps data in your infrastructure.
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Critical infrastructure and public-sector buyers that need Thales/S21sec regional cyber detection and response | Mid-market teams with existing EDR/SIEM that want MDR layered on top without ripping and replacing |
| Price | Custom quote | From $11/device/mo; annual MDR contract |
| Response authority | 2/6 actions · Configurable | 6/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Works with existing stack | Works with existing stack |
| Data access | Reports only | Full query access |
| Warranty | None listed | $1,000,000 |
- Best fit
- Critical infrastructure and public-sector buyers that need Thales/S21sec regional cyber detection and response
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 2/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Reports only
- Warranty
- None listed
- Best fit
- Mid-market teams with existing EDR/SIEM that want MDR layered on top without ripping and replacing
- Price
- From $11/device/mo; annual MDR contract
- Response authority
- 6/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Full query access
- Warranty
- $1,000,000
Detailed comparison
| FIELD | Thales (S21sec)TECH-AGNOSTIC | UnderDefenseTECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | ||
| Target size | Enterprise | Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Positive |
| Your stack | ||
| Approach | Works with your tools | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | Customer endpoint security tools | CrowdStrikeSentinelOneMicrosoft Defender |
| SIEM integrations | Customer SIEM platformsThales SOC tooling | SplunkMicrosoft SentinelElastic |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: LimitedCloudCloud: LimitedIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: LimitedNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Covered | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: CoveredSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on |
| Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | ContainCustom playbooks | IsolateKill processContainDisable accountsQuarantineCustom playbooks |
| IR included | ✓ Included | Separate |
| Cost | ||
| Price range | Not published | Starts at $11/device/month (vendor-published) |
| Minimum seats | None | None |
| Breach warranty | – | $1,000,000 |
| More details | ||
| Requires own agent | No | No |
| Endpoints | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| Cloud workloads | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| Identity | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| SaaS apps | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| Network | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| OT/ICS | ✓ Included | + Optional |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Custom quote for Thales Cyber Detection and Response, Managed Security Services, SOC and MDR. Public prices are not published. | Per-device pricing, vendor-agnostic (same rate for all asset types) |
| Hidden cost warnings | The current S21sec domain routes to Thales-branded services, so buyers wanting legacy S21sec-specific delivery should confirm contracting entity, SOC location and delivery team.. Public pages do not publish prices, minimum terms, service credits, MTTD/MTTR or formal MDR SLAs.. Thales offers a broad cybersecurity services portfolio; buyers should separate base MDR scope from CTI, DRPS, DFIR, CERT, ICS monitoring and advisory services.. Named endpoint, identity and cloud containment actions are not public and should be confirmed tool by tool.. Data retention, raw log access, offboarding and detection-content export rights are not described publicly. | $11/device is a starting price for marketing. Actual cost varies by scope, and annual contract is required.. 3-year contract required for $1M breach warranty. Not available on 1-year deals.. IR retainer is separate from MDR. $0 upfront but billed per-incident, so budget for breach costs on top of subscription.. Custom integrations beyond pre-built connectors may require professional services fees. |
| Data portability | Partial | Full |
| Contract terms | Custom cyber detection and response engagement, Managed Security Services, SOC and MDR, Critical-infrastructure cybersecurity services | Annual |
| Channels | EmailPhonePortal | SlackTeamsEmailPortalPhone |
| Data access | Reports only | Full query access |
| Dedicated analyst | – | ✓ |
| SOC regions | EuropeMEAAPAC | North AmericaEurope |
| Onboarding | Not published. Thales describes customer-centric service roadmaps and selecting/deploying detection and response technologies, but no standard MDR onboarding timeline. | 30 days |
| Industry focus | Critical InfrastructureGovernmentDefenseEnergyManufacturingAviationSpaceFinancial ServicesTelecommunicationsHealthcareTransportationAutomotiveUtilitiesMaritime | ManufacturingHealthcareFinancial Services |
| MTTD | Not published | Not published |
| MTTR | Not published | Not published |
| Community view | The current public evidence is strong for Thales-branded global SOC, MDR, CTI, DFIR and critical-infrastructure detection and response, but weak for S21sec as a standalone public MDR brand. Buyers should validate current delivery model, SOC location, response authority, pricing and whether the contract is with Thales/S21sec in the relevant country. | Gartner Peer Insights 4.9/5 (7 reviews). G2 shows 5/5 but across only 31 total reviews for all products. 66 reviews on Clutch with strong ratings. PeerSpot mindshare is 0.0% in the MDR category. No Reddit or independent practitioner forum discussion found. |
| Compliance | DORATIBER-EUPCI DSSEASA Part-ISEASAICAOUNECE | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001HIPAAPCI DSS |
| Certifications | 8 threat intelligence and AI-driven SOCs around the worldSOCs in France, Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain, and New Zealand and Australia | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001Splunk certificationsGIACOSCP |
| Founded | – | 2017 |
| Data retention | Not published. Public pages do not describe default log retention, raw log access, storage tiers or export terms for Thales SOC and MDR. | Determined by customer's existing SIEM. UnderDefense does not store raw logs, data lives in customer infrastructure. |
| API available | – | ✓ |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
FAQ
What is the main difference between Thales (S21sec) and UnderDefense?
Thales (S21sec) is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). UnderDefense is a Pure-play MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Thales (S21sec) covers 2 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 5 for UnderDefense.
How do Thales (S21sec) and UnderDefense differ in response capabilities?
Thales (S21sec) supports 2 autonomous actions (custom playbooks, network containment) and approval is configurable. UnderDefense supports 6 autonomous actions (account disable, custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable. Incident response is included with Thales (S21sec) and not included with UnderDefense.
How does Thales (S21sec) pricing compare to UnderDefense?
Thales (S21sec) pricing: Not published. UnderDefense pricing: Starts at $11/device/month (vendor-published). Watch for with Thales (S21sec): The current S21sec domain routes to Thales-branded services, so buyers wanting legacy S21sec-specific delivery should confirm contracting entity, SOC location and delivery team.; Public pages do not publish prices, minimum terms, service credits, MTTD/MTTR or formal MDR SLAs.. Watch for with UnderDefense: $11/device is a starting price for marketing. Actual cost varies by scope, and annual contract is required.; 3-year contract required for $1M breach warranty. Not available on 1-year deals..
Should I choose Thales (S21sec) or UnderDefense?
Choose Thales (S21sec) if: critical infrastructure and public-sector buyers that need Thales/S21sec regional cyber detection and response. Choose UnderDefense if: mid-market teams with existing EDR/SIEM that want MDR layered on top without ripping and replacing. Thales (S21sec) is not ideal for buyers that need a standalone legacy S21sec-branded MDR package. UnderDefense is not ideal for organizations that require independently validated detection metrics (MITRE, Forrester, etc.) before committing.
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.