By Alan Simpson, Field Chief Information Security Officer, Rapid7
For many organisations, Managed Detection and Response (MDR) serves as a frontline security function for their digital environment.
It helps organisations detect and respond to malicious activity quickly before incidents escalate into full-scale compromises.
However, as the attack surfaces expand and threats accelerate, internal security teams are coming under growing pressure to maintain visibility, investigate alerts, and respond to incidents at speed.
This is leading organisations to turn to MDR partners to strengthen detection capabilities, improve response times and reduce operational risk.
Yet many organisations still struggle to understand what they should actually look for in an MDR partner.
This can leave organisations dealing with operational challenges long after contracts are signed.
So, what are the features organisations should look for and what can they do to solidify their relationship with their MDR partner?
The Metrics Trap: Why Dashboards Aren't Enough
Too often, the decision is based entirely on alert ingestion, Mean-Time-to-Respond, dashboards and the promise of 24/7 monitoring, while relationship expectations and service support agreements are not considered until after contracts are signed.
Red Flags in Your Service Agreement
From unclear handover responsibilities and fragmented vendor ecosystems through to unpredictable ingestion costs and weak technology integration, poorly structured MDR service agreements can actually create new risks, instead of reducing them.
This can leave organisations regretting their choices at a later date.
While technical capabilities and continuous coverage are absolutely essential, trust and confidence are equally vital.
Given that the MDR partner is responsible for monitoring and responding to threats across critical environments, this means trust and transparency must form the foundation of the relationship.
This requires organisations to look beyond surface-level claims and marketing language when it comes to selecting a partner.
Businesses should be looking for partners capable of proactively reducing risk across environments, improving operational visibility and adapting alongside both evolving threats and organisational growth.
An MDR partner also needs to clearly understand the business they are serving, know what is important to them, and have a real relationship with their team so the service being delivered is tailored specifically to the organisation’s needs.
Organisations should not view MDR providers as outsourced alert management teams. They must foster a trusting and transparent relationship with them, feeling confident in their capabilities to protect them from attack.
The Rise of the "Agentic SOC"
They should function as genuine security partners that understand their environment, risk profile and operational pressures. However, this is becoming even more important as organisations increasingly adopt AI-driven security tooling and vendors race to position themselves around the concept of the “agentic SOC”.
Alan Simpson, Field Chief Information Security Officer at Rapid7, is speaking at DTX Manchester 2026.
Catch Alan live on the Main Stage to explore what you should really be looking for in a modern security partnership.
- Session: Beyond the Dashboard: Selecting an MDR Partner for the AI Era
- When: Wednesday, 29th April | 12:50 PM – 1:15 PM
- Where: Main Stage, DTX Manchester
During his session, Alan will explore what organisations should really be looking for when selecting a Managed Detection and Response (MDR) partner, and why the wrong choice could leave businesses exposed at a time when threats are accelerating faster than ever.
Ready to talk strategy? Alan and the Rapid7 team will be available immediately following the session at Booth F84. Stop by for a coffee and a candid discussion about your current security posture.
