Darktrace, Workbooks and Kyndryl cut ribbon on managed service options

The demand for technology to be delivered as a managed service continues to drive vendor decisions with fresh options being put in front of partners and customers.

On the security front, Darktrace has cut the ribbon on a Managed Detection & Response (MDR) service.

MDR is a hot area right now, so the firm is hoping its service, backed by 24/7 support, will hit the mark with users.

“As cyber threats become more sophisticated and frequent, organisations are looking for ways to improve their security outcomes without adding to their team’s existing workloads,” said Denise Walter, chief revenue officer at Darktrace.

“Our AI [artificial intelligence]-powered MDR service gives our customers added peace of mind that a Darktrace human expert is monitoring their environment 24/7 to keep them protected,” she added.

Darktrace knows it is meeting a need, having carried out its State of AI cybersecurity 2024 report that revealed more than 40% of security leaders viewed optimising their processes in the security operations centre as a top priority.

The vendor launched its MDR service in March, and is now making that available as a managed service.

James Vintin, CEO of Grove Group, a global Darktrace partner, reseller and distributor, said the option to buy MDR as a service would add more depth to its offerings.

“This collaboration seamlessly integrates our services, and together, Darktrace’s MDR service and our dSOC service offer unparalleled security through skilled analysis and consistent oversight,” he said.

Elsewhere, Workbooks has launched a managed service for customer relationship management (CRM) to provide a flexible option for those customers keen to improve their customer management systems.

The firm has noted the desire from users to tap into the benefits of a CRM system, but there are challenges holding them back, including skills shortages and a lack of support.

“To offer the best customer experiences, businesses must continuously adapt and evolve. That means tailoring your CRM strategy as you go and reviewing the functionality you’re using. But if you don’t have time to keep up with the admin to get the most out of your technology, or if you don’t have the available experts to reach your goals, your CRM can hold you back,” said Dan Roche, chief marketing officer at Workbooks.

Finally, Kyndryl has also got in on the managed services trend with the development of its Threat Insights Managed Service for Amazon Web Services (AWS).

The service will provide cyber resilience, visibility and options to mitigate risks, and the ability to deliver analysis of systems.

“Security leaders understand that cyber incidents are inevitable, and they know it’s essential to have sufficient visibility to drive quick response,” said Michelle Weston, vice-president of security and resiliency at Kyndryl.

“By joining Kyndryl’s deep cyber security expertise with the benefits of Amazon Security Lake, we can address the urgent need for an integrated approach to security and resilience, empowering our customers to not only anticipate and protect against threats, but also to quickly withstand and recover,” she added.