What Happens to MSSPs and MDRs in the Age of the AI-SOC?
Oct 20, 2025
For nearly two decades, managed-security models have defined how most organizations handle detection and response. Faced with alert overload, chronic staffing shortages, and the high cost of 24/7 coverage, many teams turned to Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) and later to Managed Detection and Response (MDR) vendors to fill the gap. Beyond staffing and capacity, many also lacked in-house expertise in building detection systems. It was a rational choice. MSSPs and MDRs provided 24/7 monitoring, experienced analysts, and predictable coverage. They gave companies without an in-house SOC a viable way to maintain security coverage in an increasingly complex threat landscape. But the ground has shifted. AI-driven SOC platforms are now automating large parts of what human analysts once did: triaging alerts, correlating signals, enriching incidents, and recommending or even executing responses. That raises a simple but profound question: what happens to the managed-security m...
