Kudelski Security

Last Updated: 6th April 2023
Analyst Coverage: Fran Howarth and David Norfolk

Kudelski Security aims at disrupting the security status quo. It has a Swiss ethos and is determinedly vendor-neutral. It has offices/labs in Switzerland, London, Singapore, Taiwan, Germany, France and the United States.

Its story began with the Kudelski Group, which was founded in 1951 with the development of the NAGRA recording equipment. It became known for innovation that shaped the evolution of digital television and the Group then used its engineering capabilities to become a world leader in media content security public access solutions, and a global IoT security and cybersecurity player.

It now helps CISOs develop strategies that minimize their company’s exposure, strengthen its cybersecurity over time, optimise its security technology, and tailor their security environments to their specific needs. It also provides managed security services, and enables Cybersecurity Incident Report planning, for when the almost inevitable (but, hopefully, well-controlled) attacks occur.

According to Head of Kudelski Security, Jacques Boschung: “Our North Star at Kudelski Security is Total Client Experience. It is at the heart of every conversation, every solution, every service. It is what sets us apart from our competition and ultimately, is what will guarantee success as we expand our business.”

Its information security management system is ISO 27001:2013 certified; its MDR services meet standards set out by System and Organization Controls (SOC) framework and is certified Certified SOC 2 Type 2, it is a partner of the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA) and a Microsoft Solution Partner; it is a member of the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST); it is certified to Cyber Essentials (a government-backed scheme of security controls, intended protect against cyberattacks and mitigate the impact of breaches); its Incident Response team holds a broad range of Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) certifications (ensuring that its services meet the rigorous standards established at Carnegie Mellon University).

Company Info

Headquarters: International HQ, Route de Genève 22-24, Case Postale 134, 1033 Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Switzerland
Telephone: +41 21 732 01 01

Kudelski Security’s MDR services

Last Updated: 6th April 2023

What is it?

Kudelski Security operates in the managed detection and response (MDR) services market, although its offerings are wider than MDR alone, with ancillary offerings that include cybersecurity consulting and strategy advisory services for risk management, compliance, vulnerability management, security technology optimisation, cloud security, incident response and also for emerging technologies such as blockchain, AI, Web3 and quantum computing.

Its services cover the entire security stack, from on-premises implementations to cloud and operational technology (OT) environments. It has strong expertise within several vertical industries that include financial services, manufacturing, consumer packaged goods, energy and utilities, and healthcare and differentiates with its localised, personal service for its global clients.

Customer Quotes

"Kudelski Security has given us the confidence we needed to take our business to the next level. This year we’ve been a leading player in a number of RFPs, because security is a core requirement in our industry. Having a stronger security posture really creates value within our organization."
Dustin Morris, Information Security Leader, Hensel Phelps

"When you oversee a network with so much sensitive patient care and health systems, it is essential to prepare and mitigate for any external or internal security threats. Nothing has been more effective as the partnership we set up with Kudelski Security to augment our 24/7 next-generation SOC.”
Maxime Granatini, Head of SOC, MGEN – Groupe VYV

"Kudelski Security offers true visibility into potential threats. They also have proved they can reduce detection time to just a few hours, enabling a proactive response against advanced attacks.”
Group CISO, Pernod Ricard

What does it do?

Figure 1 – Kudelski Security Client Portal

For organisations with a considerable technology arsenal, Kudelski Security provides MDR services across endpoint, identity, on-premises IT, cloud, SaaS apps and OT that aim to help its customers to capitalise on their existing investments, augmented with its own offerings where applicable. For organisations looking for faster time to value and cost-effectiveness, the company introduced its MDR ONE service in 2022, which is an MDR turnkey offering that includes technology and services. Kudelski Security also provides MDR, security advisory and technical services specifically tailored to organisations operating in a Microsoft-based environment, catering to the fast-growing interest in the use of Microsoft’s offerings in this area.

Figure 2 – Kudelski Security Threat Navigator

Its MDR offerings serve a global customer base leveraging its FusionDetect extended detection and response (XDR) capabilities that continuously collects and correlates billions of security events, combined with security expertise, proactive threat hunting and threat intelligence. This provides customers with greater security visibility, high fidelity security alerts and the ability to respond quickly to current and emerging threats.

Its services are backed up by its Cyber Fusion Centres, of which there are currently four in the US and Europe. These operate on an around-the-clock basis and are staffed with analysts, threat hunters and responders who provide customers with actionable advice, active response and resilience guidance.

Towards the end of 2022, Kudelski Security introduced a new differentiator to its MDR services, Threat Navigator, which offers every customer via their client portal comprehensive visibility into their MITRE ATT&CK detection gaps, helps them prioritise their elimination, and systematically strengthen their resilience. Its MDR service leverages each customer’s threat model and maps it to the Threat Navigator module, providing constant visualisation of their threat coverage and guidance on prioritising mitigation. Kudelski Security is planning to introduce automated resilience guidance. It has strong, integrated digital forensics and incident response capabilities, as well as security orchestration, automation and response (SOAR) capabilities that help customers improve their overall security posture.

Why should you care?

MDR services are evolving and maturing rapidly and are seeing greater take up, especially among the midmarket. Most vendors in the market are broadening the telemetry that they use for greater security visibility. They are also expanding their capabilities in terms of threat detection and response for cloud services, identities and workloads, as well as threat hunting, visualisation, metrics and MITRE ATT&CK alignment. These are all areas in which Kudelski Security is being seen as particularly innovative. It is also expanding its incident response capabilities further, both in terms of automation and human expertise.

The bottom line

Kudelski Security is positioned in the latest MDR Market Update from Bloor Research as a Champion and is particularly called out for its methodology, security expertise and the high level of innovation that it shows. Its outcome-driven services are suited to the needs of organisations of any size, offering a flexible delivery model that encompasses MDR ONE, hybrid MDR or fully outsourced MDR, and operates on a global basis, with a local touch.