​​Top 15 MSSPs to Watch in 2025

In 2025, companies are evaluating MSSPs the same way they’d vet any other strategic partner: through the lens of alignment, capability, and accountability. 

Questions to Ask When Vetting an MSSP

• How well will they support internal priorities?
• Are they capable of navigating regulatory nuances?
• Can they handle sector-specific complexity? 

Today’s MSSPs are expected to contribute meaningfully to both security and strategy.

That’s why the best managed security service providers are doubling down and differentiating themselves in different areas. Some focus on detection and response. Others are focused on compliance automation or deep vertical expertise in sectors like healthcare, defense, or cloud-native SaaS. AI is in the mix, too, of course — but so are the timeless questions: 

• Do I trust an external team with our data?
• Will they adapt to how we work? Will they grow with us?

The following list reflects these trends. We’re spotlighting 15 MSSP vendors we believe stand out for how they help real teams do real work better. Some are strong fits for defense contractors. Others thrive with agile SaaS teams. A few are building the future of security operations entirely.

If your team is navigating growing risk, increasing complexity, or just looking to simplify the ecosystem with an MSSP, we believe this top MSSP list offers a strong starting point.

Top 15 MSSPs in 2025

1. Orange Cyberdefense

Headquarters: Paris, France
Client Focus: European enterprises, especially regulated sectors
Core Differentiator: Threat-intel driven operations, local regulatory expertise

Orange Cyberdefense operates 18 SOCs and produces proprietary threat intel that fuels its MDR, consulting, and compliance engagements. They support a wide range of sectors across Europe, offering alignment with GDPR, NIS2, and sector-specific obligations.

Why They Made the List: Their strength is in building local trust and delivering enterprise-scale defense with regulatory precision. Ideal for readers dealing with risk and reputation under European mandates.

2. Secure-Centric

Headquarters: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Client Focus: U.S. Defense Industrial Base, aerospace, government contractors
Core Differentiator: CMMC-focused MSSP with advisory and vCISO support

Secure-Centric exists to help organizations navigate the complexity of CMMC, NIST 800-171, and related frameworks. Their services span assessments, remediation, and long-term maturity planning.

Why They Made the List: For our readers supporting national defense supply chains, Secure-Centric offers relevant, no-fluff guidance and auditing tailored to federal certification realities.

3. Neurosoft

Headquarters: Athens, Greece
Client Focus: Telecom, utilities, and infrastructure in Southeast Europe
Core Differentiator: Customized SOC builds, risk-aligned security services

Neurosoft brings enterprise MSSP capability to regional infrastructure and telecom providers. Their solutions are tailored, not templated — built to reflect the operational, regulatory, and business realities of the industries they serve.

Why They Made the List: For readers in transitional markets with layered needs, Neurosoft offers flexible partnerships over generic programs.

4. CY4

Headquarters: Malta
Client Focus: Regulated sectors and fast-scaling SaaS/fintechs
Core Differentiator: Risk-first MSSP with integrated compliance dashboards

CY4 is built for teams navigating both threat detection and framework alignment. Their services link alerts with compliance standards like ISO 27001 or SOC 2, delivering business-friendly intelligence.

Why They Made the List: Because clarity matters. CY4 helps translate security events into the language your board, customers, and auditors understand.

5. BlueVoyant

Headquarters: New York, NY, USA
Client Focus: Enterprises with extended supply chains and compliance scope
Core Differentiator: External threat monitoring + Microsoft-native MDR

BlueVoyant focuses on what happens beyond your firewall — tracking exposed assets and third-party risks across the digital ecosystem. Financial institutions, legal firms, and global brands especially value their services.

Why They Made the List: Readers with high vendor sprawl and attack surface complexity will benefit from BlueVoyant’s external visibility and platform-native speed.

6. Trustwave (SpiderLabs)

Headquarters: Chicago, IL, USA
Client Focus: Finance, healthcare, retail
Core Differentiator: Proprietary threat research and forensic-grade MDR

Trustwave’s SpiderLabs brings original threat intelligence to its MDR services, pairing analytics with response backed by years of incident response work. It’s a go-to for organizations with layered risk across endpoints, data, and identity.

Why They Made the List: Their history in real-world breaches shows in their product. It’s thorough, mature, and trusted by teams who value substance.

7. RSM US LLP

Headquarters: Chicago, IL, USA
Client Focus: Middle-market orgs needing audit-ready security
Core Differentiator: GRC-integrated MSSP built for regulated operations

RSM helps financial firms, healthcare orgs, and nonprofits secure operations while remaining audit-compliant. Their services combine threat management with a strong understanding of SOC 2, HIPAA, and PCI obligations.

Why They Made the List: For readers whose IT and compliance are inextricably linked, RSM offers a rare balance of pragmatism and thoroughness.

8. Arctiq

Headquarters: Toronto, Canada
Client Focus: DevOps-driven orgs and fast-moving tech teams
Core Differentiator: DevSecOps-native MSSP with a focus on CI/CD security

Arctiq specializes in security that moves at code-speed. Their services embed security into infrastructure automation, containers, and cloud-native stacks — not layered on top later.

Why They Made the List: For readers struggling with tool sprawl or lack of alignment between developers and security teams, Arctiq offers cohesion.

9. AgileBlue

Headquarters: Cleveland, OH, USA
Client Focus: Growing SMEs and mid-market orgs
Core Differentiator: AI-driven MDR with ease-of-use and transparency

AgileBlue offers a modern MDR platform that balances affordability, AI insights, and human SOC support. Their platform is ideal for orgs scaling their security program and needing simplicity without compromise.

Why They Made the List: Readers building from the ground up will appreciate how AgileBlue makes strong detection and response attainable.

10. DirectDefense

Headquarters: Englewood, CO, USA
Client Focus: Energy, defense, large-enterprise
Core Differentiator: Offensive security roots with active incident response muscle

Founded by penetration testers, DirectDefense brings an attacker’s perspective to defense. They incorporate red teaming and high-touch containment services into their MDR stack.

Why They Made the List: Their credibility with mature security teams is earned through sharp tools, honest posture assessments, and hands-on help when it counts.

11. MAD Security

Headquarters: Huntsville, AL, USA
Client Focus: Defense contractors, aerospace, DIB entities
Core Differentiator: Military-grade security for highly-regulated orgs

MAD Security’s services are purpose-built for clients handling CUI and seeking CMMC Level 2+ compliance. Their SOC coverage is tailored for high-verification environments and comes with deep policy expertise.

Why They Made the List: Their niche focus helps our readers in defense-heavy industries meet their most pressing risk and compliance goals.

12. Cisco Secure Managed Services

Headquarters: San Jose, CA, USA
Client Focus: Enterprises running Cisco-native infrastructure
Core Differentiator: Stack-integrated MDR and SecureX orchestration

Cisco MSSP partners provide managed services across endpoint, network, and cloud, all tied together through SecureX. The experience is smoothest when clients are already invested in Cisco hardware and platforms.

Why They Made the List: Many of our readers already own Cisco tools. This inclusion is for those looking to get more out of what they have.

13. Accenture Managed Security

Headquarters: Dublin, Ireland
Client Focus: Global orgs mid-transformation
Core Differentiator: Security interwoven into IT and cloud strategy

Accenture’s MSSP offering often rides alongside cloud migration, app modernization, or ERP transformation. That blend of security + business consulting makes them ideal for complex orgs modernizing at scale.

Why They Made the List: Readers tackling both innovation and protection at once will benefit from Accenture’s holistic, integrated approach.

14. SecureWorks (Taegis)

Headquarters: Atlanta, GA, USA
Client Focus: Enterprises needing XDR-native MDR
Core Differentiator: Strong threat intelligence and streamlined detection via Taegis

SecureWorks’ Taegis platform unifies telemetry, guided detection, and high-fidelity alerting. Their Counter Threat Unit provides frequent intel that feeds directly into playbooks.

Why They Made the List: For readers looking to reduce alert fatigue and act faster, Taegis delivers contextualized insight without the noise.

15. High Wire Networks

Headquarters: Batavia, IL, USA
Client Focus: Channel partners, MSPs, and SMB-heavy client bases
Core Differentiator: MSSP-as-a-service model with white-labeled Overwatch platform

High Wire operates behind the scenes for many MSPs and MSSPs, powering their security offerings through its Overwatch platform. What sets them apart is their ability to scale 24/7 threat monitoring and MDR for providers who want to serve multiple clients but lack the infrastructure. Their services are structured, partner-friendly, and highly customizable.

Why They Made the List:
Many readers operate in ecosystems where they serve clients, not just themselves. High Wire helps build security businesses as much as they deliver security itself — a key differentiator in today’s distributed IT economy.

MSSP Providers or Platforms? The Debate

From startups to aerospace contractors, teams are mapping their security and compliance journeys and asking: Who should actually drive this thing?

Let’s break it down.

What MSSPs Bring to the Table

MSSPs offer services, people, and tools — bundled and ready to go. For organizations that need to move quickly, they can provide everything from continuous log monitoring to incident response, threat hunting, and policy enforcement.

For example, if you’re working toward compliance with frameworks like NIST 800-171 or CMMC Level 2, an MSSP can help you enforce multifactor authentication, collect and review system logs, or document your Incident Response Plan. In many cases, they’ve done this dozens of times — and have the processes nailed down.

But it’s not always seamless.

Some MSSPs outsource monitoring to offshore SOCs. That might be fine — or it might clash with your internal policies or contract clauses about foreign nationals accessing Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). Others might lock you into their tooling, which works great… until you want to do something your way.

And then there’s the matter of ownership. You might have visibility into incidents, but not always into how they’re triaged. 

What Platforms Promise

Platforms, on the other hand, give you the tools to build your own defense — often automated, often integrated with the systems you already use. They help centralize documentation, assessments, task management, and control tracking.

But there’s a catch: someone has to own it. Platforms don’t run themselves. They need tuning, monitoring, and people who know what they’re doing.

If you’re working with CUI, platforms must be hosted in a compliant environment. That’s a detail not everyone catches, but trust us — your assessors will.

What Smart Teams Are Actually Doing

The reality? Most security-forward organizations aren’t choosing MSSPs or platforms off the shelf. They’re designing hybrid models.

They use platforms to automate, document, and track their internal posture — making audits smoother and reducing overhead. Then they bring in MSSPs to fill the gaps.

Some even rotate — starting with an MSSP to get compliant quickly and then transitioning to a platform once they’ve built up internal muscle. Others keep both: the platform as the brain, the MSSP as the hands and eyes.

Because the best MSSP companies and security setups today are built, not bought. This list of managed security service providers is designed to help you find partners who understand your business, your risks, and your regulatory environment — and who can meet you where you are, technically and strategically.

Cybersecurity isn’t just a service anymore. It’s a structure — one that gets stronger when it’s shaped intentionally. 

The post ​​Top 15 MSSPs to Watch in 2025 appeared first on Centraleyes.

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Centraleyes authored by Rebecca Kappel. Read the original post at: https://www.centraleyes.com/top-15-mssps-to-watch-in-2025/