In today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape, cybersecurity demands more than just great technology—it requires great teamwork. That’s the story behind the collaboration between Microsoft Defender Experts and MXDR partner, Quorum Cyber, joining forces to deliver end-to-end threat protection for organizations worldwide.
Microsoft-verified MXDR partner
Microsoft Defender Experts recognized the need for partner-led managed services to complement their first-party MDR (Managed Detection and Response) service.
Quorum Cyber is a trusted Microsoft solutions partner and MSSP of the Year. They are also a Microsoft-verified MDR partner, which means they passed Microsoft’s validation process to deliver services using Microsoft’s security technologies. Quorum Cyber complements Microsoft Defender Experts, MDR services with additional security operations center (SOC) capabilities, extended coverage, non-Microsoft telemetry, and 3rd party domain expertise.
“Quorum Cyber’s reputation for customer focus and security expertise made them the ideal Microsoft-verified MDR partner.” – Vivek Kumar, Microsoft
“We saw Defender Experts as a way to extend our reach and deliver even more value to customers. It wasn’t about replacing—it was about enhancing.” – Ricky Simpson, Quorum Cyber
Why teamwork matters
The Microsoft-verified MDR partner program was born out of a shared mission: to provide holistic, customer-led security solutions to address the growing security needs of organizations worldwide.
Today, cyber security needs to be a team sport. Organizations that provide security services, like Microsoft’s Defender Experts and Quorum Cyber, need to join together with customers to defend an ever-expanding attack surface against today’s sophisticated threats.
Facing the modern threat landscape together
From skill shortages to complex attacks, organizations need security providers who can adapt and collaborate.
“Hackers only need to get it right once while SecOps needs to get it right every time. Customers need an end-to-end security solution to eliminate gaps and strengthen vulnerabilities. No single provider can address the needs of every organization—everywhere. Only teamwork can get the job done.” – Vivek Kumar, Microsoft
How MDR providers working together is important for CISOs and other security leaders
Meeting real-world challenges
Modern SecOps must navigate an increasingly complex and multifaceted threat landscape. One of the most pressing challenges is the global shortage of cybersecurity professionals. Although the security workforce has grown by 9%, the gap has widened even further, with nearly 4.8 million additional professionals needed to adequately protect organizations last year. ¹
Meanwhile, adversaries are becoming more sophisticated and agile. They work in groups, using many individuals who process deep domain expertise is executing various attack techniques and tactics. In May 2024 alone, Microsoft Defender XDR detected over 176,000 incidents involving tampering with security settings, impacting more than 5,600 organizations. ²
That surge in threat activity coincides with a pivotal moment in technological evolution as organizations rapidly scale cloud operations and explore the transformative potential of generative AI. These innovations, while powerful, also expand the attack surface and the likelihood of gaps and vulnerabilities.
Comprehensive coverage across security domains
Microsoft Defender Experts brings deep integration across Microsoft’s ecosystem and manages incidents across Microsoft Defender products (Endpoint, Office 365, Identity, Cloud Apps, and Defender for Cloud/Servers).
Quorum Cyber, a Microsoft-verified partner, offers flexibility and specialized coverage to extend beyond Microsoft Defender Experts.
“What is so exciting about this approach, is that together, we created a layered defense strategy that’s greater than the sum of its parts and provides coverage for nearly all of the customers’ environment. Microsoft SDM/SecDeliveryExperts worked together with Quorum Cyber to create a nearly seamless, unified defense strategy. They not only help to eliminate the skills gap but are designed to scale easily to address nearly any volume of sophisticated threats.” – Sebastien Molendijk, Microsoft
With shared tooling, real-time communication, and complementary expertise, this teamwork eliminates blind spots and delivers coverage across an environment that includes non-Defender Experts supported technology such as 3rd party and legacy systems, custom applications, IoT, firewalls, network gear, and more. Additionally, the combined telemetry for all covered systems, Defender Experts and Quorum Cyber, enriches incident context and improves detection accuracy and hunting.
Real-world impact – Customer success stories
Proactive threat hunting is a core component of Defender Experts. Experts are not just cross-checking Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) against the environment or only validating them against known tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs). The hunting approach is differentiated by the 78T signals and hundreds of tracked threat actors. The intelligence informing Microsoft hunts spans across nation state, criminal activity, evolving vulnerabilities, and newly observed behaviors. That is something Defender Experts can uniquely provide customers.
One of many customer examples of this teamwork involved an organization already engaged with Quorum Cyber MDR for Microsoft E5 services. When Defender Experts engaged with the customer, the two teams co-created a solution tailored to meet the CISOs needs by combining Quorum Cyber’s analytics and monitoring with Defender Expert’s proactive threat hunting. That not only expanded coverage but provided the customer with both proactive and reactive services across nearly their entire environment.
Another example is adversary in the middle alerts, Defender Experts performs the investigation of malicious QR codes and then escalates to Quorum Cyber if malicious activity is observed. Quorum Cyber then takes delegated authority to reset the user's password, revokes their sessions, and takes other actions as needed.
Unique services
Collaboration is more than Quorum Cyber and Microsoft working as one. Quorum Cyber develops unique services including their data security service – Clarity Data. This service handles incidents generated via Microsoft Purview - DLP and IRM. It includes Quorum Cyber’s 24/7 365 SOC services to address those incidents without interfering with security signals being addressed by other analysts.
Operational flexibility
Customers have the option to divide responsibilities. For example, Microsoft manages Defender-specific alerts and Quorum Cyber manages alerts from all the other tools. Guided response playbooks allow Microsoft Defender Experts and Quorum Cyber teams to work as one to perform containment and remediation across workstreams.
“We built solutions from scratch, keeping customer outcomes at the center. The results are frictionless, powerful security models that address unique customer needs.” – Ricky Simpson, Quorum Cyber
Overcoming challenges, building trust, working as one
Like building any team, there were hurdles. From workflow alignment to incident handoffs, mutual respect and a shared commitment to customer satisfaction paved the way to building frictionless workstreams.
Teamwork thrived on technical integration. Because Defender Experts is built atop the Microsoft Defender portal and Microsoft Graph, the service is inherently designed for seamless collaboration. When Defender Experts assigns incidents, initiates proactive threat hunts, publishes investigation notes, or executes one-click remediation actions, those activities are fully integrated into both the Defender user experience and the Graph API.
That integration enables Quorum Cyber to synchronize directly with those workflows, allowing their teams to operate within their existing toolsets while customers receive real-time updates and final resolutions through platforms such as Microsoft Defender, Sentinel, or their ITSM systems.
A notable example is the ‘real-time chat’ feature within Defender Experts, which is architected to support joint participation from both customers and partners like Quorum Cyber—ensuring transparency and responsiveness throughout the incident lifecycle.
That level of tooling integration is essential to delivering a unified experience. Customers benefit from the deep expertise of Defender Experts, the broad coverage of a trusted partner like Quorum Cyber, and the operational efficiency of a tightly connected security services ecosystem. It truly represents the best of both worlds.
“Defender Experts’ use of Microsoft Graph and Defender Portal enabled seamless incident sharing, real-time chat, and synchronized updates across platforms. Live dashboards from Defender Experts offer a clear, prioritized view of incidents. That allowed Defender Experts and Quorum Cyber to work as one team to keep customers secure and do that quickly and efficiently.” – Ricky Simpson, Quorum Cyber
The bigger picture – innovation and growth
This partnership isn’t just about solving today’s problems—it’s about shaping the future. It has opened doors for Quorum Cyber to expand into new service areas, like managed data security, while reinforcing Microsoft’s commitment to flexible, scalable security solutions.
Customers don’t have to choose between Microsoft and their trusted MDR provider like Quorum Cyber—they can have both. By combining Microsoft Defender Experts with MDR providers like Quorum Cyber, organizations gain a flexible, scalable, and deeply integrated security strategy that adapts to their unique needs and can grow as they grow.
Whether you're augmenting your SOC, expanding global coverage, or navigating a transition, this “better together” model ensures your security operations are resilient, responsive, and ready for what’s next.
“We’ve proven, and our customer agree, that first-party and partner-led services can coexist and thrive together.” – Ricky Simpson, Quorum Cyber
“Customers get the best of both worlds—expertise from Defender Experts and coverage from Quorum Cyber, all delivered as it should be—in a timely and seamless way.” – Vivek Kumar, Microsoft
In summary – Microsoft Defender Experts and Quorum Cyber – the benefits are clear
- End-to-End Threat Protection – Combines Microsoft Defender capabilities with Quorum Cyber extended SOC services and third-party telemetry.
- Comprehensive Coverage –Protects both Microsoft and non-Microsoft environments, including legacy systems, IoT, and custom applications.
- Proactive and Reactive Security –Integrates threat hunting with incident response for full-spectrum defense.
- Operational Flexibility –Allows tailored division of responsibilities and coordinated remediation through guided playbooks.
- Real-Time Collaboration –Enables seamless communication and incident management via shared tooling, dashboards, and chat features.
- Advanced Threat Intelligence –Leverages Microsoft’s 78T signals and threat actor tracking, with partner TI, to enrich incident context and improve detection.
- Complementary Services –For example, Quorum Cyber’s Clarity Data service handles Microsoft Purview incidents without disrupting other security workflows.
- Unified Customer Experience –Delivers frictionless, scalable, and resilient security operations through deep integration and mutual trust.
Learn more
If you like this blog, and would like to learn more, see this insightful webinar for more details The Better Together Story of Defender Experts and Quorum Cyber - Quorum Cyber
And listen to what these experts from Quorum Cyber and Microsoft have to say about the benefits of ‘Better Together.’
Sebastien Molendijk | LinkedIn
Next Steps
For organizations considering a multi-provider strategy, the message is clear: collaboration works. Microsoft Defender Experts and Quorum Cyber show that when service providers align around customer needs, the results are transformative.
“Microsoft Security has got you covered—whether through Defender Experts, partners like Quorum Cyber, or both.” – Vivek Kumar, Microsoft
Ready to strengthen your cyber resilience,
- Join the conversation through Microsoft’s public webinar series
- Explore the CTI community
- Reach out to learn more about how this partnership can support your organization.
Sources
Microsoft