Overview

Atlas AI investigates and enriches alerts to help speed triage, while eSentire’s Threat Response Unit proactively hunts across customer telemetry. The service also includes containment, remediation and unlimited incident handling, giving organizations a human response path as well as detection. That breadth is a strong fit for teams seeking an ongoing managed service, but the required launch charge makes it less appealing for smaller deployments.

Key features

AI-assisted investigation: Atlas AI enriches and investigates alerts, helping analysts focus on potential threats rather than initial triage alone.
Proactive threat hunting: The Threat Response Unit searches customer telemetry for threats, adding a proactive layer beyond responding to alerts.
Incident response: SOC support includes containment, response, remediation and unlimited incident handling. Security support for incidents and investigations is available 24/7.
Broad alert intake: Atlas can investigate alerts from any source through its REST API, with custom integrations available for sources outside its standard menu. This is useful for organizations with varied security tools, though custom integration needs may call for sales engagement.
Endpoint support: EDR works with customer-provided CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint or Palo Alto technology, so buyers should account for supplying compatible endpoint tools.
Reported phishing: Atlas investigates suspicious messages reported through a shared Office 365 inbox and returns a verdict with recommended response actions.
Retention and support tiers: Enhanced includes 90-day log retention, while Elite provides 365 days. Technical support is available during business hours with Professional and Enhanced, and 24/7 with Elite; incident and investigation security support remains 24/7.
Compliance materials: eSentire provides ISO 27001 Statement of Applicability and ISMS ISO/IEC 27001:2022 resources, as well as PCI DSS compliance materials.

Pricing

All Atlas packages require Launch & Optimization Services at $2,500.00 USD/year, charged once per package each year regardless of user count. That required fee raises the effective first-year cost beyond the package price, particularly for a 10-user organization.

Atlas Professional: $17.00 per user/month for up to 100 users, or $16.15 per user/month for 101–250 users; billed annually at $2,040.00/year for 10 users. It is the entry package for teams that need managed detection and response but do not require Enhanced or Elite retention.
Atlas Enhanced: $24.00 per user/month for up to 100 users, or $22.80 per user/month for 101–250 users; billed annually at $2,880.00/year for 10 users. It adds Atlas SIEM with 90-day log retention, making it the better fit when that retention period is needed.
Atlas Elite: $28.00 per user/month for up to 100 users, or $26.60 per user/month for 101–250 users; billed annually at $3,360.00/year for 10 users. Its 365-day retention and 24/7 technical support suit organizations that need longer log history and continuous technical support.

The listed packages cover 10–250 users. Organizations above 250 users or with unusual requirements should contact sales for custom pricing. There is no free plan.

Platforms

eSentire MDR supports Android, iOS, web and API platforms. Its REST API and custom integrations provide a route for bringing alerts from varied sources into Atlas.

Who it's for

eSentire says it protects organizations across more than 35 industries and describes Professional as suited to teams without a SOC or enough headcount to build one. The service is most compelling for organizations in the 10–250-user range that want 24/7 monitoring, active threat hunting and coordinated incident response. The annual launch charge and user minimum make it a weaker fit for very small teams; larger organizations need to discuss scope with sales.

Pros and cons

Pros

Round-the-clock operations with human response: 24/7 SOC coverage combines with containment, remediation and unlimited incident handling.
Proactive hunting and AI investigation: The Threat Response Unit and Atlas AI provide complementary ways to find and investigate threats.
Defined annual package costs: Per-user rates and 10-user annual totals make the package costs easier to compare than custom-only pricing.
Longer retention at higher tiers: Enhanced and Elite offer 90 and 365 days, respectively, for organizations that need log history.

Cons

Required annual launch services: The additional $2,500.00 USD/year applies to every Atlas package, regardless of user count.
Minimum and upper range: Packages start at 10 users and cover up to 250, leaving smaller teams and larger deployments without a standard package fit.
Technical support varies by tier: Professional and Enhanced have business-hours technical support, while only Elite includes 24/7 technical support.
Endpoint tools are customer-provided: Buyers need to have supported CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint or Palo Alto technology.

Alternatives

Compare managed detection and response services if you want to assess the broader category. Consider these alternatives when their stated platform coverage or package approach better matches your needs:

Arctic Wolf Managed Detection and Response is worth considering if you want 24x7 monitoring with integrated telemetry, an Arctic Wolf Agent and Active Response.
Red Canary MDR is another paid option, with API and web platforms.
Expel MDR is another paid option with web platform support.
ReliaQuest MDR may suit buyers who prefer a core platform priced per endpoint, with additional capabilities priced by scope and no token-based pricing.
Sophos MDR is another paid option with web platform support.
Check Point MDR/MPR is another paid option with web platform support.
Rapid7 MDR may suit buyers seeking expanded third-party ecosystem monitoring, breach protection warranty, embedded DFIR with Velociraptor and vulnerability remediation.
Deepwatch MDR is another paid option, with pricing available by contacting Deepwatch.

Verdict

Choose eSentire MDR if your organization has at least 10 users and needs managed 24/7 security operations, threat hunting and unlimited incident handling backed by human response. Atlas’s tiered retention and published per-user pricing make the package choice relatively clear, but the required $2,500.00 USD/year launch service is a meaningful cost on top. Look elsewhere if your team falls below the user minimum, needs more than 250 seats without a custom discussion, or cannot justify that annual setup charge.

	Critical Start MDR	eSentire MDR
Free plan		No
Paid from		$17/mo
Platforms	Android, iOS, Web	Android, api, iOS, Web
Monitoring coverage	24_7	24_7
Response model	coordinated	coordinated
Threat hunting	Yes	Yes
Incident response	No	Yes
Coverage areas		all_three

Critical Start MDR vs eSentire MDR

Critical Start MDR

eSentire MDR