ReliaQuest GreyMatter vs Ontinue ION MXDR

ReliaQuest GreyMatter with Ongoing Enablement suits teams keeping multiple security vendors. Ontinue ION MXDR suits teams standardizing on Microsoft Sentinel, Defender and Teams. Both share SOC work with your team and support authorized containment. Start with the stack you intend to keep, then compare the operating tasks included in the order.

Updated 29 Sep 2026 · Based on public service documentation.

ReliaQuest GreyMatter if

You need shared investigation and response across a supported multi-vendor stack.

Ontinue ION MXDR if

You want Microsoft-focused operations and collaboration in Teams.

Consider neither if

You want to hand over all daily security decisions, source maintenance and recovery.

Questions to ask both

Demonstrate a real investigation and authorized response using our proposed tool versions.
List who owns source failures, detection changes, hunting and escalation closure.
Separate service charges, platform licenses, ingestion costs and optional modules.

At a glance

ReliaQuest GreyMatter Co-Managed SOC · Co-manage the SOC · Works with your stack Ontinue ION MXDR Co-Managed SOC · Co-manage the SOC · Works with your stack

Stack commitment

GreyMatter connects existing tools. Check each connector’s investigation and response capabilities.

ION centers on the buyer’s Sentinel, Defender and Teams environment. Microsoft remains the primary control plane.

Operating support

Ongoing Enablement and purchased Integration Plus items define tuning and maintenance responsibilities.

ION combines Microsoft detection engineering, Cyber Defenders and Cyber Advisor posture work.

Response control

GreyMatter workflows can isolate endpoints and disable accounts. Your team configures production approval gates.

ION automation and Cyber Defenders use approved Microsoft actions and jointly defined escalation paths.

Hunting boundary

Provider-run hunt campaigns require a separate order under the Ongoing Enablement description. AI hunting features are a different entitlement.

Threat hunting is part of the described ION service. Confirm covered sources and the scope of any custom request.

Cost basis

The current core-platform FAQ uses endpoints. An AWS package instead specifies SIEM Integration Plus, Ongoing Enablement and an EPS limit. Reconcile them in the quote.

ION uses Ontinue Units. Microsoft licenses, Sentinel ingestion and Log Analytics charges remain separate.

Contract check

Confirm the order’s integration support, service scope, data terms and export arrangements.

Quorum announced an agreement to acquire Ontinue in September 2026. The announcement says they remain independent until closing. Confirm support and renewal terms.

Full side-by-side specs

ReliaQuest GreyMatter Co-Managed SOC · Co-manage the SOC · Works with your stack Ontinue ION MXDR Co-Managed SOC · Co-manage the SOC · Works with your stack

Decision fit

Service model

Co-managed SOC

Co-managed SOC, MDR, XDR

Provider involvement

Co-manage the SOC

Best for

Enterprise, Mid-Market

Mid-Market, Enterprise, Government

After an alert

Response level

Co-manage the SOC

Response detail

GreyMatter supports shared detection workflows, alert investigation and authorized containment across connected tools. The purchased integration package determines maintenance scope. Your team retains access, action policy, escalation decisions and recovery.

Ontinue ION automation performs enrichment, triage, investigation and approved response. ION IQ also conducts autonomous investigations for escalated incidents, then passes a summary to a Cyber Defender for human review. Defenders continue investigation and approved containment, while business-critical incidents follow a jointly defined escalation path.

Stack and coverage

Platform model

Works with your stack

SIEM

Microsoft Sentinel

EDR

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

Cloud

Azure

Coverage areas

Endpoints, Identity & Access

Endpoints, Cloud Workloads, Identity & Access, Email, Network, SaaS Applications

Buying signals

Pricing signal

AWS package: $226,000 / 12 months for SIEM Integration Plus and Ongoing Enablement, up to 2,000 EPS

SOC regions

North America, Europe / UK, APAC

Service documentation

Use the response-permissions guide to check the proposed operating agreement.