WatchGuard to Acquire ActZero to Boost MDR Services

Unified security solutions provider WatchGuard has announced the acquisition of ActZero, a leading provider of managed detection and response (MDR) services, with proactive, rapid, and automated threat response, and cross-platform AI-driven threat analysis designed to outpace threats at machine speed.

In a press release, WatchGuard said that the acquisition will assist the organization with expanding and maturing its innovative 24/7 MDR service and advance its mission to deliver more MSP-enabling services.

ActZero acquisition brings deeper defense to WatchGuard customers

The two companies will focus on servicing all their customers and partners to ensure they continue to receive quality service. The SOCs, people, and processes from ActZero will direct the overall delivery of WatchGuard MDR services going forward.

ActZero will be able to do this with the following attributes:

• Proven, scalable MDR capabilities, including strong customer success functions, onboarding procedures, and a seasoned SOC team and processes.
• Leading-edge platform tools that utilize machine learning for automated, efficient, and effective security with reduced false positives and noise.
• An open architecture that extends beyond WatchGuard endpoint security to managed Fireboxes and third-party services such as Microsoft Defender.

“We realized the need to scale rapidly as we have gained traction throughout the year with our MDR service,” said Andrew Young, WatchGuard’s chief product officer and SVP of product management. “The acquisition of ActZero allows WatchGuard to add capacity, scalability, and new technology that will enable our MDR service to expand to the full WatchGuard portfolio and third-party security products. With additional scale, we can handle a larger partner base efficiently, building confidence with our partners so they can easily add more services as we expand our MDR capabilities. ActZero has built its service with this kind of scaled customer experience in mind.”

MDR is a cybersecurity service combining technology with human expertise to rapidly identify and limit the impact of threats through threat hunting, monitoring, and response. It helps organizations limit the impact of threats without the need for additional staffing, which can be costly to a business. WatchGuard MDR enables MSPs to scale and grow to meet client demands for reduced risks from cybersecurity incidents.

“WatchGuard shares our commitment to delivering leading MDR services and simplifying cybersecurity management for MSPs,” said Hal Libby, co-founder of ActZero. “We’re excited that more MSPs will be able to leverage our platform capabilities, and that together with WatchGuard, we can accelerate the expansion of MDR products in the future.”

WatchGuard Cyber Predictions

For 2025, WatchGuard predicts that threat actors will leverage multimodal AI to automate entire attack pipelines.

“Generative AI has created high expectations, but has not fully delivered the transformative change promised,” WatchGuard writes. “This could lead organizations to underestimate the risks and lower their guard, letting in attacks that combine advanced technology and deception.”

The advances of these threats, which WatchGuard predicts, highlight the need for strategies that combine advanced technology with proactive approaches. 

Utilizing MDR to protect against these increasingly advanced threats allows organizations to meet client demands for reduced risks from cybersecurity threats to make up for a shortage of security professionals and funding while scaling at their own pace.

As MDR services become a critical element of cybersecurity strategies for enterprises, identifying the correct MDR tools is important. Discover which MDR tools will work best for your organization in 2025.