How do they compare?
Sophos genuinely has 24/7 human-led MDR — that's not a strawman. The catch is it's one more SKU on top of endpoint, and identity, patching, dark-web monitoring, and compliance evidence are each separate products you still have to license and stitch together in Sophos Central yourself.
30 minutes · nothing to install · you keep the assessment either way
What to consider when comparing us to Sophos
Sophos Endpoint, Firewall, Email, ITDR, and MDR are all administered from one management pane — but they're independently licensed products with their own SKUs, typically quoted and billed through a reseller. "One console" and "one plan" aren't the same thing.
Sophos's own MDR service description states dark-web monitoring, security-awareness training, and compliance/GRC evidence generation are NOT included in MDR — and monitoring is scoped to endpoints, not identity, email, or cloud by default.
Sophos ITDR only launched in October 2025, built on the Secureworks Taegis platform Sophos acquired months earlier — not native engineering — and is licensed as an add-on to an existing MDR or XDR subscription.
MDR Essentials contains a threat and gives guided neutralization — you finish the cleanup yourself. Full analyst-led remediation is reserved for MDR Complete, the more expensive tier.
Sophos manages updates to its own products and flags outdated third-party software — but it doesn't deploy third-party OS/application patches, a capability regulated mid-market organizations need for compliance evidence.
Three reasons to choose EntraGuard over Sophos
Endpoint, identity, email, patching, dark-web monitoring, awareness training, and compliance evidence are all delivered through the same EntraGuard portfolio and the same specialist team. Add a capability and you add a module — not a new Sophos SKU, a new renewal date, or a new invoice to reconcile.
Sophos's own MDR contract language excludes compliance and GRC evidence generation from the service, at any tier. EntraGuard's Comply module keeps evidence collection and framework mapping continuously current for regulated mid-market organizations who need audit-ready proof, not just security telemetry.
Sophos's cheaper MDR tier only contains and gives guided neutralization — the customer still finishes cleanup. EntraGuard's Detect keeps containment standard on every engagement — the deeper, fully-staffed 24/7 SOC response is a separately purchased Managed Security Operations upgrade, not something withheld until you finish the job yourself.
Endpoint, MDR, Email, and ITDR — we'll show you exactly what one coordinated EntraGuard portfolio replaces, in about 30 minutes.
Every layer Sophos licenses as its own SKU
Each layer of your security and compliance program, run by the same specialist team, on the same screen you already trust.
Comply keeps your compliance evidence collection and framework mapping current, continuously — audit day is a download, not a scramble. Sophos's own MDR service description explicitly lists compliance and GRC evidence generation as not included in the service, at any tier.
Protect covers endpoint AV/EDR, email security, patch and device management, dark-web monitoring, and awareness training as one specialist-run module. Sophos manages updates to its own products and flags outdated third-party software, but it doesn't deploy third-party OS or application patches — the evidence auditors actually ask for.
Identity governs Entra ID access as part of the same portfolio and specialist team from day one, with deeper MFA and privilege governance available as you need it. Sophos's identity threat detection only exists as of October 2025, built on the Secureworks Taegis platform it acquired months earlier, and ships strictly as a paid add-on to an existing MDR or XDR subscription.
Microsoft 365, Entra ID, assets, and controls — unified into one view. The operating core every engagement runs on, so nobody's stitching together Sophos Central and three other consoles to answer one question.
Baseline monitoring and containment run standard, on every engagement — not gated behind a pricier tier the way Sophos splits "contain it" from "finish the job." Full SOC-grade managed response is available as a separately purchased upgrade when you want a dedicated 24/7 team on top.
One number your board can use — risk scoring and executive reporting, live, instead of the several separate scores Sophos Central shows for endpoint, email, and identity.
A full SOC, on call. 24/7 monitoring, investigation, and response — purchased separately, same tier as Fractional CISO.
Confirmed 2026-07-14: identity governance depth is a modular add-on, and full Managed Security Operations is a separately-purchased managed service, kept distinct from the six-product portfolio. Everything above traces directly to that confirmed decision — nothing guessed.
From EntraGuard clients
"Within thirty days, EntraGuard had rolled out an impressive security program that immediately identified and remediated active vulnerabilities and threats."Noah R. — COO, Staffing & Recruiting Firm
"We have been a happy client since 2009. HIPAA was a breeze — the requirements actually fall short of the policies and protection we already had in place, thanks to them."Glen B. — President, NY-area Medical Practices
"EntraGuard has significantly improved our cybersecurity program. Our compliance efforts are now stronger, with more effective management of cybersecurity."James C. — CFO, NY-area Publishing Company
EntraGuard vs. Sophos, 2026
Sophos's endpoint engine and MDR are genuine strengths, scored accordingly. Where a capability is a modular add-on for EntraGuard too, it's marked as such — not claimed as automatically included.
| Capability | EntraGuard | Sophos |
|---|---|---|
| Next-gen antivirus & EDR | ProtectModular, specialist-operated | Strong, real differentiator (Intercept X) |
| 24/7 managed threat hunting & response | DetectBaseline core; full SOC-grade service is separate | Real 24/7 MDR — separately licensed tier1 |
| Threats contained, not just alerted | Default once Detect is active | Full remediation only on the pricier MDR tier3 |
| Identity threat protection | IdentityEntra ID core; deeper governance is an add-on | Brand-new (Oct 2025), separately licensed add-on2 |
| Email security | ProtectModular | Separate product, separate license |
| Patch & device management | ProtectModular | No third-party patch deployment4 |
| Dark-web credential monitoring | ProtectModular | Only inside the top ITDR add-on |
| Security-awareness training | ProtectModular, measured | Separate product, only recently bundled with Email |
| Continuous compliance evidence | ComplyModular | Explicitly excluded from MDR's scope5 |
| Single posture score | InsightCore — reflects what's connected | Multiple separate scores, not unified |
| A team running it for you | Specialist operation, not self-service | Managed only if you buy MDR on top |
| One vendor, one bill | Yes — one relationship as you add modules | One console, multiple licenses and invoices |
1 — Sophos MDR is a genuinely well-regarded 24/7 managed service, licensed and billed separately from Sophos Endpoint. 2 — Sophos ITDR launched October 2025, built on the Secureworks Taegis platform (acquired February 2025), sold as an add-on to MDR/XDR. 3 — Sophos MDR Essentials provides containment and guided neutralization; full analyst-led remediation requires MDR Complete. 4 — Sophos manages updates to its own products and flags outdated third-party software but does not deploy third-party OS/application patches. 5 — Sophos's own MDR service description (sophos.com/en-us/legal/mdr-description) explicitly lists dark-web monitoring, security-awareness training, and compliance/GRC evidence generation as not included in MDR. Sophos figures reflect public Sophos product and legal pages, checked July 2026 — Sophos has restructured its portfolio rapidly post-Secureworks acquisition, confirm current bundling and pricing before publishing. Named products are the property of their respective owners and are shown to illustrate coverage, not a vendor-run benchmark.
Questions, answered
The watch never sleeps
Give us thirty minutes and we'll show you your own posture — gaps, wins, and the two or three things worth fixing first. You keep the assessment either way.