Pondurance Launches Microsoft-Native MDR to Close Security Gaps for the Mid-Market

Mid-market organizations sit in an uncomfortable security gap. They face many of the same ransomware, identity, and data-exfiltration threats as large enterprises—but without the staffing, budgets, or time to fully operate modern security tools. Pondurance is betting that Microsoft-native MDR is the fastest way to close that gap.

The managed detection and response (MDR) provider has announced Pondurance for Microsoft, a purpose-built MDR service designed specifically for Microsoft-centric IT environments. Available immediately, the service targets mid-market organizations in highly regulated industries that rely heavily on Microsoft 365, Windows, Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory), and Azure—but struggle to secure hybrid environments effectively.

Rather than replacing Microsoft security investments, Pondurance’s approach is to operationalize them.

Why Microsoft-Centric Environments Are High-Risk

For most mid-market organizations, Microsoft is the backbone of IT operations. Email, identity, collaboration, endpoints, and infrastructure are deeply intertwined across Microsoft 365, Active Directory, and Azure.

That ubiquity also makes Microsoft environments a prime target.

Attackers increasingly exploit identity weaknesses, misconfigured tenants, and poorly monitored endpoints to launch ransomware, business email compromise, and data theft campaigns. Hybrid environments—where cloud services coexist with on-prem Active Directory and legacy systems—only add to the complexity.

The problem isn’t access to security tools. Many organizations already license Microsoft Defender capabilities. The real challenge is operating them: tuning detections, correlating signals, and responding quickly when something goes wrong.

Turning Microsoft Defender Into a 24/7 Security Operation

Pondurance for Microsoft addresses that operational gap by delivering round-the-clock MDR powered by Microsoft Defender XDR, including Defender for Endpoint.

Instead of deploying proprietary agents or parallel tooling, Pondurance integrates directly with Microsoft’s native security stack—making use of capabilities customers often already own but underutilize.

“Many mid-market organizations already have access to Microsoft Defender but aren’t using it to its full potential,” said Doug Howard, CEO of Pondurance. “Pondurance for Microsoft allows us to deliver enterprise-grade MDR in a highly economical way.”

That focus on economics is key. Security teams are under pressure to do more with less, and solutions that require additional agents, tools, or staff often stall before deployment.

What Makes Pondurance for Microsoft Different

Pondurance positions this offering as more than alert monitoring. The service combines Microsoft-native detection with hands-on response, covering cloud, identity, endpoint, and on-premises environments.

Core capabilities include:

• Native integration with Microsoft Defender XDR, including Defender for Endpoint

• Direct Microsoft Graph API ingestion for Microsoft 365 and Entra ID telemetry

• 24/7 U.S.-based SOC monitoring by analysts trained in Microsoft attack chains

• Active response actions, such as session termination, password resets, account lockouts, and endpoint containment

• Proactive Microsoft 365 hardening to reduce attack surface before incidents occur

• Hybrid visibility across cloud services, Active Directory, endpoints, networks, and legacy systems

This matters because many MDR providers either forward alerts without response or rely primarily on cloud-only telemetry. Pondurance’s model emphasizes full-spectrum visibility and action, particularly across identity—a growing weak point in modern attacks.

No New Agents, Simple Pricing

One of the more pragmatic aspects of Pondurance for Microsoft is what it doesn’t require.

By leveraging Microsoft Defender rather than deploying a proprietary endpoint agent, the service reduces operational overhead and speeds time to value. Pricing is handled on a per-endpoint basis, making costs more predictable for mid-market buyers.

This approach aligns with a broader security trend: buyers increasingly want MDR services that maximize existing investments, not ones that force costly rip-and-replace decisions.

Built for Regulated Industries Under Pressure

Pondurance is particularly focused on organizations in healthcare, education, financial services, and other regulated sectors where breaches carry regulatory, legal, and cyber-insurance consequences.

Microsoft-centric environments in these industries are frequent targets for ransomware precursors, identity compromise, and data exfiltration. Pondurance for Microsoft is designed to reduce both breach likelihood and blast radius—a critical consideration as insurers tighten coverage requirements and regulators increase scrutiny.

The service runs on the Pondurance MDR Platform, which integrates Defender for Endpoint with telemetry from Microsoft 365, Entra ID, and Active Directory to detect and disrupt identity-driven attacks.

RansomSnare™: Stopping Ransomware Before It Encrypts

A notable addition to the offering is RansomSnare™, a newly announced module included with Pondurance for Microsoft.

RansomSnare is designed to disrupt ransomware operations by preventing encryption and stopping data exfiltration—addressing both sides of modern ransomware campaigns, which increasingly focus on data theft before encryption.

Combined with Defender telemetry and active response capabilities, RansomSnare aims to move organizations from detection to prevention and containment, rather than post-incident cleanup.

Market Context: MDR Meets the Microsoft Stack

The launch of Pondurance for Microsoft reflects a broader shift in the MDR market.

As Microsoft continues to expand Defender XDR across endpoint, identity, email, and cloud workloads, more organizations are looking for partners that can operate that stack effectively. At the same time, mid-market buyers are pushing back against MDR services that feel enterprise-priced or operationally heavy.

Pondurance’s Microsoft-native focus positions it against both traditional MDR providers and pure Microsoft consultancies—offering a managed, outcome-driven model instead of tooling advice or alert forwarding.

The Bottom Line

Pondurance for Microsoft isn’t about introducing new security technology. It’s about making existing Microsoft security investments actually work for organizations that lack the time, staff, or expertise to run them 24/7.

By combining Defender XDR, identity telemetry, hands-on response, and ransomware disruption into a single MDR service, Pondurance is targeting one of the most persistent problems in mid-market cybersecurity: strong tools, weak operational coverage.

For regulated organizations running on Microsoft—and facing nonstop breach pressure—that combination could be exactly what’s needed.

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