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LevelBlue, the world’s largest pure-play provider of managed security services, today announced it has been named a Major Player in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide MDR/MXDR for the Enterprise 2026 Vendor Assessment (IDC #US54792426, August 2026). The IDC MarketScape cited the following as LevelBlue’s core MDR capabilities:
• FedRAMP certification extending government-grade security;
• SpiderLabs threat intelligence operationalized through MDR;
• Co-managed delivery with asset-level response control;
• Technology-agnostic integration with comprehensive adjacent services;
• Indigo security platform with AI-powered detection.
The IDC MarketScape assessment evaluated 20 managed detection and response (MDR) and managed extended detection and response (MXDR) service providers worldwide on their current capabilities and future strategy for serving enterprise organizations globally. IDC's research points to a market shift in which leading MDR providers are integrating vulnerability intelligence, attack surface insights, and asset context directly into security operations, enabling organizations to move beyond reactive incident response toward continuous risk reduction.
The IDC MarketScape evaluated MDR/MXDR for Enterprise providers worldwide. According to the report,“The clearest trajectory is toward genuinely agentic security operations, where AI does not just accelerate triage but takes on structured investigation work under governed autonomy. Providers describe evolving from disparate, single-purpose agents toward interoperable, multiagent ecosystems that can hand off work between specialized functions, hypothesis generation, evidence gathering, correlation, and response recommendation, without losing context along the way.”
The same MDR services LevelBlue offers to enterprise customers also address midmarket needs, through intelligence-led operations, flexible delivery models, and cyber resilience services. LevelBlue's offering extends a midmarket organization's team with security expertise, response capabilities, and operational support, while letting each organization set the level of involvement that fits its resources and security maturity.
"The enterprise MDR/MXDR market has entered a new phase of maturity, one defined by the additional needs for the proper governance and of the AI doing the response, the quality and mix of the analysts and agents doing the in investigations, and the sovereignty needs that dictate where this work can be delivered from," said Craig Robinson, research vice president, Security and Trust at IDC. "This study reveals a market where agentic AI architecture, human governance discipline, and sovereign delivery footprint have become primary axes of differentiation. MDR/MXDR remains one of the most compelling security investments available to enterprise organizations, offering access to SOC capabilities, threat intelligence programs, and incident response expertise operating at a scale most enterprises cannot replicate internally. But the gap between leaders and the broader field is widening, and buyers who treat MDR/MXDR as a commodity purchase will increasingly find that the details of how a service is automated, governed, and delivered determine whether it meets their risk tolerance."
"Security leaders are rethinking what they expect from MDR providers, and the market is entering a new phase of maturity," said Allison Clelan, Senior Vice President, Managed Global Security Solutions, LevelBlue. "Organizations are looking beyond containment metrics and response times, evaluating providers on their ability to deliver continuous risk reduction, operational accountability, and cyber resilience. We believe this recognition from IDC validates the approach we've built: combining MDR with threat intelligence, exposure management, incident response, cyber advisory, and resilience services so organizations can identify, prioritize, and reduce cyber risk across the full security lifecycle."
SpiderLabs Intelligence Embedded Across the Incident Lifecycle
LevelBlue differentiates through the way SpiderLabs threat intelligence is operationalized throughout MDR operations. SpiderLabs threat intelligence is embedded directly into detection and response workflows through continuous indicators of compromise (IOC) feeds, detection content, threat hunting hypotheses, investigation context, and response guidance. That intelligence is informed by operational insights drawn from more than 8 million endpoints, more than 200,000 annual penetration testing hours, and more than 9,000 incident investigations.
The same intelligence that informs security monitoring also supports incident response, digital forensics, cyber advisory, and resilience services, creating continuity throughout the incident lifecycle. For midmarket organizations and others with limited internal intelligence capabilities, this provides access to enterprise-grade threat intelligence without the cost and complexity of maintaining a dedicated internal research program.
Flexible, Co-Managed Cyber Resilience
According to the report,“IDC observes a clear divergence in how vendors are approaching AI integration. A leading group of providers has moved beyond using AI for alert triage and noise reduction, which has become table stakes, and has deployed agentic AI architectures in which purpose-built AI agents autonomously conduct investigation, evidence collection, and response orchestration, with human analysts validating outcomes rather than performing them from scratch.”
LevelBlue's co-managed MDR model allows organizations to define response actions at the asset level, determining which actions can be automated, which may be analyst-authorized, and which require customer approval before execution, enabling security teams to align response activities with operational priorities while maintaining visibility and control.
Beyond day-to-day detection and response, LevelBlue customers gain access to expert-led incident response, digital forensics and incident response (DFIR), cyber advisory services, the Resilience Retainer, managed network security, and managed cloud security capabilities, allowing organizations to engage a single intelligence-led partner across the full cyber resilience lifecycle. The Resilience Retainer, approved by more than 50 cyber insurance carrier panels and trusted by hundreds of law firms worldwide, gives MDR customers insurance-aligned, litigation-ready response at pre-negotiated rates, plus a funds-based model with 100% rollover, response SLAs as fast as one hour, and discounted rates across readiness, advisory, and managed services.
Technology-Agnostic Delivery with Government-Grade Rigor
LevelBlue delivers a technology-agnostic approach that works alongside leading security platforms, including Microsoft, CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Splunk, and Devo, allowing organizations to strengthen security operations while continuing to maximize existing technology investments.
LevelBlue was the first pure-play MSSP to achieve FedRAMP and GovRAMP certification and maintains Top Secret facility clearances. Combined with a global delivery model and extensive experience supporting regulated environments, these capabilities help organizations address complex security and compliance requirements while strengthening overall resilience.
Sources:
[1] IDC, MarketScape: Worldwide MDR/MXDR for the Enterprise 2026 Vendor Assessment, #US54792426, August 2026.
[2] IDC, MarketScape: Worldwide Managed Detection and Response Service for Midmarket 2026 Vendor Assessment, #US52992326, July 2026.
About LevelBlue
LevelBlue (levelblue.com) reduces risk and builds lasting resilience so organizations can innovate and advance their mission with confidence. As the world’s most analyst-recognized and largest pure-play managed security services provider, LevelBlue elevates client outcomes that matter: stronger defense, faster response, and sustained business continuity. LevelBlue combines AI-powered security operations, advanced threat intelligence, and elite human expertise to provide the most comprehensive portfolio of strategic advisory, managed security, offensive security, and incident response services. Learn more at LevelBlue.com.
About IDC MarketScape
IDC MarketScape vendor assessment model (idc.com) is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of technology and service suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendor’s position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of IT and telecommunications vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360-degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective vendors.
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