Thales (S21sec) vs WithSecure
Thales (S21sec) is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. WithSecure is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. Thales (S21sec) targets Enterprise organizations; WithSecure serves SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise. Thales (S21sec) includes 2 attack surfaces in base pricing (Network, OT/ICS), compared to 1 for WithSecure (Endpoint).
Buyer brief
Thales (S21sec) is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. WithSecure is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. Thales (S21sec) targets Enterprise organizations; WithSecure serves SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise. Thales (S21sec) includes 2 attack surfaces in base pricing (Network, OT/ICS), compared to 1 for WithSecure (Endpoint).
WithSecure is the choice if you want a single-vendor stack with deep integration. Thales (S21sec) is better if you have existing tools and want flexibility.
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Critical infrastructure and public-sector buyers that need Thales/S21sec regional cyber detection and response | European mid-market organizations prioritizing EU data residency, GDPR, NIS2, and DORA compliance |
| Price | Custom quote | Custom quote |
| Response authority | 2/6 actions · Configurable | 5/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Works with existing stack | Requires own platform |
| Data access | Reports only | Full query access |
| Warranty | None listed | None listed |
- 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
- European mid-market organizations prioritizing EU data residency, GDPR, NIS2, and DORA compliance
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 5/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Requires own platform
- Data access
- Full query access
- Warranty
- None listed
Detailed comparison
| FIELD | Thales (S21sec)TECH-AGNOSTIC | WithSecurePLATFORM |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | ||
| Target size | Enterprise | SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Positive |
| Your stack | ||
| Approach | Works with your tools | Requires their platform |
| EDR integrations | Customer endpoint security tools | WithSecure Elements EDR (required for MDR service) |
| SIEM integrations | Customer SIEM platformsThales SOC tooling | Microsoft Sentinel (native Azure Marketplace connector)Any SIEM via Elements Connector (Syslog forwarding) |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: LimitedCloudCloud: LimitedIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: LimitedNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Covered | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: Optional add-onIDIdentity: Optional add-onSaaSSaaS: Optional add-onNetNetwork: Optional add-onOTOT/IoT: Not covered |
| Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | ContainCustom playbooks | IsolateKill processContainDisable accountsQuarantine |
| IR included | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Cost | ||
| Price range | Not published | Not publicly disclosed. Custom quotes required. Described as 'competitively priced for mid-sized businesses.' ITPro rated pricing 5/5 stars. |
| Minimum seats | None | None |
| Breach warranty | – | – |
| More details | ||
| Requires own agent | No | Yes |
| Endpoints | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| Cloud workloads | ~ Limited | + Optional |
| Identity | ~ Limited | + Optional |
| SaaS apps | ~ Limited | + Optional |
| Network | ✓ Included | + Optional |
| OT/ICS | ✓ Included | Not offered |
| 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-endpoint/per-device/per-user subscription. Monthly or annual billing options. |
| 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. | Platform lock-in: requires WithSecure Elements EDR, cannot use competing EDR. Modular pricing: full coverage across identity, cloud, SaaS, and exposure management adds cost beyond base MDR. Ownership transition: being taken private by CVC/Siilasmaa, managed services ARR declined 22% in H1 2025 |
| Data portability | Partial | Partial |
| Contract terms | Custom cyber detection and response engagement, Managed Security Services, SOC and MDR, Critical-infrastructure cybersecurity services | Annual, Multi-year |
| Channels | EmailPhonePortal | PortalEmailPhone |
| Data access | Reports only | Full query access |
| Dedicated analyst | – | ✓ |
| SOC regions | EuropeMEAAPAC | Europe |
| Onboarding | Not published. Thales describes customer-centric service roadmaps and selecting/deploying detection and response technologies, but no standard MDR onboarding timeline. | Not publicly disclosed. Requires Elements EDR deployment first, then MDR subscription activated in Elements Security Center. |
| Industry focus | Critical InfrastructureGovernmentDefenseEnergyManufacturingAviationSpaceFinancial ServicesTelecommunicationsHealthcareTransportationAutomotiveUtilitiesMaritime | Financial ServicesManufacturingHealthcareGovernmentEducationTechnology |
| MTTD | Not published | Not published |
| MTTR | Not published | Not published. Marketing states 'reaction in minutes, containment within hours.' PeerSpot reviewer reported ~4 minute average alert response (anecdotal). |
| 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. | PeerSpot 8.0/10 with 100% recommend rate and growing mindshare (0.3% to 1.0% YoY). Gartner Peer Insights 4.5/5 across 144 reviews (all products). Forrester Strong Performer in MDR Europe Q3 2025. Being taken private by CVC/Siilasmaa (delisting expected H1 2026). Consulting divested to Neqst May 2025. Managed services ARR declined 22% in H1 2025. |
| Compliance | DORATIBER-EUPCI DSSEASA Part-ISEASAICAOUNECE | ISO 27001ISAE 3000 (SOC 2 Type 2 equivalent)GDPRNIS2DORA |
| 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 | ISO 27001 (cloud-delivered products and managed security services)ISAE 3000 (assurance-based, SOC 2 Type 2 equivalent)CREST-Accredited CSIR TeamNCSC CIR Level 1 (one of only 9 IR teams globally for Category 1-3 incidents)NCSC CIR Level 2 (via CREST)BSI (German Federal Office for Information Security) Assured IR TeamForrester Strong Performer MDR Europe Q3 2025Gartner Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms 2024AV-TEST Approved Advanced EDR 2024MITRE ATT&CK Evaluations Enterprise 2024 Participant |
| Founded | – | 1988 |
| 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. | 13-14 months for security events, varying by event severity. |
| API available | – | ✓ |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
FAQ
What is the main difference between Thales (S21sec) and WithSecure?
Thales (S21sec) is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). WithSecure is a Platform vendor that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). Thales (S21sec) covers 2 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 1 for WithSecure.
How do Thales (S21sec) and WithSecure differ in response capabilities?
Thales (S21sec) supports 2 autonomous actions (custom playbooks, network containment) and approval is configurable. WithSecure supports 5 autonomous actions (account disable, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable.
How does Thales (S21sec) pricing compare to WithSecure?
Thales (S21sec) pricing: Not published. WithSecure pricing: Not publicly disclosed. Custom quotes required. Described as 'competitively priced for mid-sized businesses.' ITPro rated pricing 5/5 stars.. 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 WithSecure: Platform lock-in: requires WithSecure Elements EDR, cannot use competing EDR; Modular pricing: full coverage across identity, cloud, SaaS, and exposure management adds cost beyond base MDR.
Should I choose Thales (S21sec) or WithSecure?
Choose Thales (S21sec) if: critical infrastructure and public-sector buyers that need Thales/S21sec regional cyber detection and response. Choose WithSecure if: european mid-market organizations prioritizing EU data residency, GDPR, NIS2, and DORA compliance. Thales (S21sec) is not ideal for buyers that need a standalone legacy S21sec-branded MDR package. WithSecure is not ideal for organizations committed to multi-vendor or BYO-EDR strategies (requires WithSecure agent).
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.