WatchGuard aims to upend MDR licensing models with new pricing plans

WatchGuard Technologies has launched a new pricing scheme designed to disrupt the traditional Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) licensing model.

The new tiered offering includes enterprise-grade features typically licensed as add-ons from other vendors – such as AI-powered security, proactive vulnerability management and URL filtering – without the cost, complexity, or operational overhead typically required to enable these features in other products, the company claimed.

With MSP pay-as-you-go licensing and automation built into the WatchGuard platform, MSPs can choose to offer a managed service themselves or add on to their offering with 24/7 Detection and Response through WatchGuard Core MDR.

Features include enterprise-grade protection out of the box, simplified deployment and management and a tiered model which allows MSPs to customise security to their needs, alongside multi-tenant management, policy inheritance and tier upgrades. 

“EDR solutions gained traction a decade ago by delivering greater visibility and introducing new AI-driven detection techniques," said Adam Winston, VP of endpoint security and MDR at WatchGuard.

"Years later, many vendors have made minimal product advancements while continuing to charge premium prices for excessive, inflexible cloud storage and table stakes features like vulnerability scanning, URL filtering, USB Control and Host Firewall, offering little value for the money. We’re changing that."

Earlier this month, WatchGuard announced an expansion of its network detection and response capabilities, and in January, the company expanded its MDR  services with the introduction of WatchGuard Open MDR.