How Much Does MDR Cost for a UK Small Business?

A standard MDR service includes EDR agent deployment, 24/7 SOC monitoring, alert investigation, threat containment, and remediation guidance. Some providers also include vulnerability scanning and regular reporting. Check whether incident response is covered within the monthly fee or charged additionally. The average cost of the most disruptive breach is £3,550 (DSIT 2025), so understanding exactly what your MDR fee covers before an incident occurs is critical.

The range reflects differences in monitoring hours (business hours versus 24/7), whether human analysts or automated triage handle alerts, the depth of response included, and the EDR technology used. Providers offering genuine 24/7 human-led investigation and active containment charge more than those relying primarily on automation. 19,000 UK businesses were hit by ransomware in 2025 (Sophos), and human-led response is what distinguishes containment within minutes from an alert sitting in a queue.

For most businesses under 500 employees, MDR is significantly more cost-effective. Building equivalent capability in-house requires SIEM licensing, EDR tooling, and at least two security analysts at £50,000-£80,000 each. MDR delivers these capabilities for £12-£30 per user per month. 85% of businesses that experienced a breach identified phishing as the attack vector (DSIT 2025), and MDR providers' cross-client threat intelligence improves detection of emerging phishing campaigns.