31 of the Top MSSPs Use D3 for SOC Automation: Here’s Why

MSSP Alert recently released its Top 250 MSSPs list for 2024, and we were pleased to recognize many D3 users on the list, including 31 overall and 20 of the Top 100. The rankings are based on MSSP Alert’s analysis of revenues, profitability, growth rate and headcount.

Here’s a snapshot of the Top 100. Check out MSSPalert.com for the full list of 250.

The research highlights several defining characteristics of these market leaders:

• Operational Excellence: 89% of ranked MSSPs reported profitability in 2023, with 92% projecting continued profitability through 2024, demonstrating the sustainability of their business models.
• Service Evolution: Leading providers are rapidly expanding their capabilities, with 78% now offering MDR services, and 75% providing XDR capabilities – reflecting a shift toward more sophisticated security offerings.
• Threat Response Capabilities: The data shows these leaders are effectively handling modern threats at scale, with 96% successfully mitigating phishing attacks, 92% addressing ransomware incidents, and 87% responding to data breaches in 2024.

The presence of so many D3 users on the MSSP Alert list speaks volumes about the platform’s ability to empower security providers. Leading MSSPs are leaning into automation to differentiate their services, as well as help deliver more differentiated and valuable services, such as MXDR.  Data from our own 2024 MSSP survey highlights this trend:

• 82% of MSSPs now utilize a high or medium level of automation in their operations
• 67% report that automation has directly contributed to increased revenue
• 87% of security professionals indicate automation has positively impacted job satisfaction
• A striking 96% of MSSPs plan to maintain or increase their automation investments in 2024

As to how these industry leaders are actually utilizing D3, let’s take a closer look.

Automate Client/Tenant Onboarding

The onboarding challenge is particularly revealing: while 51% of MSSPs report client onboarding as a major time sink, D3 is transforming this traditionally manual process. Consider one leading MDR provider’s journey: facing ambitious growth targets 2,000+ new customers in a year, they recognized that manual onboarding would be unsustainable. 

Thanks to D3 Smart SOAR’s Zendesk integration, the MSSP automated nearly the entire onboarding workflow, providing a solution that minimizes manual steps and ensures consistent, rapid onboarding for new clients. This included steps like initial ticket creation, site deployment, playbook configuration, and regional customization, showcasing how the use of intelligent automation transforms traditionally manual processes into efficient, scalable operations. D3 streamlined the process, requiring just 10 mouse clicks and minimal human intervention, with analysts only needing to schedule final data ingestion. This automated workflow saves time and enables scalable growth while maintaining service quality and consistency.

Automatically Triage EDR, SIEM, or Email Alerts

Handling the large volume of alerts from various security tools is a major challenge for MSSPs, making an efficient triage system crucial. D3’s automated triage approach offers a fresh way for security teams to manage this complexity effectively.

The platform’s event ingestion capabilities cover the entire security stack, from SIEM platforms and EDR solutions to email security tools. What makes D3 unique is its ability to transform raw security data into actionable intelligence.

At the core of this transformation are D3’s event playbooks, which enable sophisticated workflows that can perform complex data processing, transformation, and system actions across multiple security tools.

One leading MSSP was overwhelmed by alerts from multiple client environments, showing the need for advanced automation to ease this burden. By using D3’s event automation rules, they set criteria for alert escalation and dismissal, allowing analysts to focus on critical threats while automated workflows manage routine triage tasks accurately.

This approach is powerful due to its adaptability. Event playbooks can be customized to each client’s security needs, providing both flexibility and consistency in triage. This allows MSSPs to scale operations without sacrificing security effectiveness.

Correlate EDR/XDR Alerts Using Data from Across Your Stack

Real security insight means more than collecting data – it needs smart correlation across all security tools. D3’s Smart SOAR helps MSSPs tackle this with a simple three-tier data model. This setup lets security teams link alerts and data across events, giving clear visibility into attack patterns that might be missed.

D3’s correlation engine turns raw data into useful insights. By linking EDR/XDR alerts with identity management data, MSSPs can tell the difference between real user activity and threats. Cross-stack correlation finds attack patterns that might be missed if data is viewed separately. Unlike other SOAR platforms, D3’s Smart SOAR keeps a 90-day correlation window to spot slow-moving and advanced threats.

The platform works with any security tool clients use, giving MSSPs flexibility without losing analysis depth.

Build AI Playbooks Using Natural Language

D3’s built-in AI capabilities have had a transformative impact on how MSSPs handle security automation. With natural language playbook creation, D3 has turned a complex task into a simple process that makes analysts more effective.

Using generative AI to quickly create and deploy new response playbooks gives MSSPs a force-multipler for scaling their operations while keeping service quality high. As one security director said, “We can now focus on important security decisions while AI takes care of the technical details.”

Deliver Exceptional Multi-Tenant Security Operations

D3’s multi-tenant setup is a great solution for MSSPs who need to scale their services while keeping client data separate.

D3’s approach keeps client environments isolated while allowing centralized management for better efficiency. Smart SOAR’s multi-tenant capabilities handle data residency needs with servers in different locations, helping global MSSPs stay compliant while growing. This setup gives MSSPs the tools they need to scale, stay secure, and meet compliance demands.

Minimize Noise and False Positives with the Event Pipeline

At the heart of these success stories lies D3’s innovative Event Pipeline – which automates the alert-handling capacity of dozens of analysts. It changes how MSSPs manage security data by using automation in different steps: normalization, deduplication, enrichment, and risk-based prioritization.

This layered approach has helped MSSPs work much more efficiently. Organizations report 91-99% less alert noise. By automating alert context and prioritization, analysts can focus on real threats and important security tasks.

Collaborate Securely with Clients

One of the biggest changes D3 has made for MSSPs is improving how they work with clients. The MSSP Client Portal makes it easier for service providers to connect with their clients. Instead of using different communication channels and manual reporting, MSSPs now give clients direct, secure access to important security information and interactive tools.

This change has made operations more efficient and improved client relationships. MSSPs say they spend much less time on routine client communications and see higher client satisfaction. Giving clients real-time visibility into security, automated reporting, and easy approval processes has changed what clients expect from their security providers.

Read: MSSPs Say Client Communication Is Too Hard. Here’s How We’re Helping

Looking Ahead: The Future of MSSP Operations

D3’s focus on the MSSP market, its comprehensive features addressing key MSSP needs, and its proven track record of delivering ROI make it a powerful tool for MSSPs looking to automate, integrate, respond, and grow. Interested in learning how D3 can help transform your security services business? Visit our MSSP solutions page or schedule a personalized demo.