Sapphire vs WatchGuard
Sapphire is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. WatchGuard is a MSP-channel that works with your existing tools. Sapphire targets SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise organizations; WatchGuard serves SMB and Mid-market. Sapphire includes 4 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Network), compared to 5 for WatchGuard (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network).
Buyer brief
Sapphire is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. WatchGuard is a MSP-channel that works with your existing tools. Sapphire targets SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise organizations; WatchGuard serves SMB and Mid-market. Sapphire includes 4 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Network), compared to 5 for WatchGuard (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network).
Sapphire (Services firm) and WatchGuard (MSP-channel) serve different buyer profiles. Your decision depends on whether you prioritize Sapphire's sapphire mdr is strongest for uk buyers that value local ownership, a crest-accredited uk soc and... 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 | UK organisations that want MDR from a UK-owned provider with a UK-based CREST-accredited SOC | 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
- 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
- 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 | SapphireTECH-AGNOSTIC | WatchGuardTECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| ›› Fit | ||
| Target size | SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise | SMB, Mid-market |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Mixed |
| ›› Your stack | ||
| Approach | Works with your tools | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | EDR toolsMicrosoft technologies | WatchGuard Endpoint SecurityMicrosoft DefenderCrowdStrike |
| SIEM integrations | ExabeamSIEM tools | WatchGuard Cloud |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on | 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 | ✓ Included | ✓ 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 | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| SaaS apps | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Network | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| OT/ICS | + Optional | Not offered |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Custom quote. Sapphire does not publish MDR 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 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. | 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 | Subscription, Term license, 1 year, 3 years |
| Channels | PortalEmailPhone | PortalEmailPhone |
| Data access | Dashboards | Dashboards |
| Dedicated analyst | – | ✓ |
| SOC regions | Europe | North AmericaEuropeAsia-Pacific |
| Onboarding | Sapphire references onboarding and implementation that can be shorter than expected, but no standard public MDR onboarding timeline was found. | Vendor states onboarding can be completed in hours. April 2026 release notes added direct onboarding from WatchGuard Cloud. |
| Industry focus | Public SectorDefenceFinancial ServicesProfessional ServicesIndustrialsManufacturingOperational TechnologyHealthcare | 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 | 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. | 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 27001NISTHIPAADORACyber Essentials PlusCRESTGDPRPCI DSS | ISO 27001GDPRFIPS 140-2Common Criteria |
| Certifications | CREST SOCCREST Penetration TestingCyber Essentials PlusISO 27001 | WatchGuard Cloud ISO/IEC 27001:2022Firebox FIPS 140-2Firebox Common Criteria EAL4+WatchGuard Endpoint Security CCN High ENSWatchGuard Endpoint Security Common Criteria EAL2+ |
| Founded | 1996 | 1996 |
| Data retention | Not published as a standard MDR retention period. | 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 Sapphire and WatchGuard?
Sapphire 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). Sapphire covers 4 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 5 for WatchGuard.
How do Sapphire and WatchGuard differ in response capabilities?
Sapphire 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.
How does Sapphire pricing compare to WatchGuard?
Sapphire pricing: Not published. WatchGuard pricing: Not published. 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.. 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 Sapphire or WatchGuard?
Choose Sapphire if: uK organisations that want MDR from a UK-owned provider with a UK-based CREST-accredited SOC. Choose WatchGuard if: mSPs already selling WatchGuard Firebox, AuthPoint or Endpoint Security who want to add managed SOC coverage. Sapphire is not ideal for buyers that need public MDR pricing or contractual response SLAs before sales engagement. 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.