Private Equity Firm Replaces Alert-Only MDR with 24/7 Managed XDR (Response in Minutes)

The challenge: A managed service that didn’t manage

Most managed security providers promise protection but deliver alerts.  

That was the painful reality for a private equity firm responsible not only for protecting its own business but also advising a growing portfolio of companies on cyber resilience.  

In reality, it had a supplier that forwarded alerts without ownership, leaving the internal team to interpret notifications, decide what mattered, and chase action when time was critical. Additionally, the private equity company wanted to accelerate a new range of AI tools and applications securely.

The impact wasn’t just noisy alerts, it became a business security and continuity risk.

If key personnel wasn’t available, in meetings, or simply unavailable, the business could not progress quickly and was potentially exposed. Security effectiveness depended on one person being online at the right moment.

What wasn’t working

• A “check-the-box” MDR service that created a false sense of protection

• Alert overload with no triage, investigation, or containment

• Cyber risk tied to one internal person, creating operational fragility

• Weak tuning and inconsistent integrations leading to high noise, low signal

The firm needed 24×7 coverage, but without building an internal team. And most importantly, it needed a provider willing to take responsibility for outcomes.

Why CloudGuard: Outcome ownership, not alert forwarding

The firm evaluated multiple providers. Many offered modern dashboards and similar language, but still operated with the same underlying model: managed alerts with escalation.

CloudGuard stood out for multiple reasons: ownership, resolution-focus and AI security expertise.

CloudGuard agreed to investigate, enrich, and act, not forward alerts and wait. It also removed the key person dependency by working directly with the firm’s managed service partner when containment actions were required.

“We didn’t want another supplier. We wanted a partner who would stand next to us when it matters. CloudGuard understood that immediately.”

CloudGuard also aligned with the firm’s Microsoft-first strategy. PROTECT+ is built specifically for Microsoft Sentinel and Defender, enabling stronger detection, faster tuning and deeper integration from day one.

Deployment: A calm migration, tuned for real-world detection

CloudGuard deployed PROTECT+ Managed XDR to provide 24×7 monitoring, threat investigation, and response, powered by automation and supported by human analysts.

The transition was controlled and low risk:

1. Parallel run with the legacy provider

2. Verification of all data connectors and integrations

3. Tuning and validation to improve detection quality

4. Full takeover once visibility and performance were confirmed

Unlike the previous provider, CloudGuard didn’t leave the team to manage detections.

ANSEL (CloudGuard’s virtual security analyst) handled first-stage triage, enriching evidence, suppressing false positives, and escalating genuine threats to human analysts. When action was required, CloudGuard moved quickly and didn’t wait for internal availability.

Results: Fast response, fewer tickets, no single point of failure

Within weeks, the firm shifted from reactive alert management to action-led security operations with a trusted security partner.

Operational outcomes

• Mean time to acknowledge: average 4 minutes

• Mean time to respond: average 8 minutes

• 75% of tickets handled through automation

• No dependency on a single internal responder

• Clear escalation and containment via the firm’s managed service partner

The key change wasn’t just responsiveness, readiness and resilience in one trusted partner.

Security is no longer dependent on a key person being available to interpret alerts and trigger action. Incidents progressed automatically. Containment happened without delay. Security didn’t pause because someone was busy.

From MDR service to long-term resilience partner

The relationship quickly expanded beyond managed detection and response.

Together, the firm and CloudGuard:

• Ran tabletop exercises to test readiness and improve decision-making under pressure

• Built escalation paths and playbooks for specific threat types

• Improved board-level reporting and executive confidence

• Began developing a repeatable approach to uplift security across portfolio companies

“CloudGuard is now our first call on security. They know our business. They understand our priorities. They act like part of our team.”

In private equity, risk doesn’t exist in one environment, it spreads across a portfolio. It needs real-time response, resolution and remediation, whatever the issue.

CloudGuard helped the firm begin establishing baseline controls and scalable security practices across multiple companies, reducing risk and strengthening resilience without slowing business momentum.

Security Done Different 

With deep experience supporting private equity environments and regulated financial services, CloudGuard PROTECT+ delivers 24×7 managed XDR with automation, expert response and outcomes boards and investors can trust.