Full Report
Explore how the Huntress Neighborhood Watch Program has grown and how it empowers MSPs with Managed ITDR, Managed EDR, and more.
Analysis Summary
# Industry News: Huntress Expands "Neighborhood Watch" to Tackle Identity and BEC Threats for MSPs
## Summary
Huntress has announced a significant expansion of its Neighborhood Watch Program, providing Managed Service Providers (MSPs) with free "not-for-resale" (NFR) access to its full security suite for internal use. The update notably integrates Managed Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) to combat the surge in Business Email Compromise (BEC) targeting service providers.
## Key Details
- **Date:** November 5, 2024
- **Companies Involved:** Huntress
- **Category:** Product Update / Channel Strategy
## The Story
Originally launched in July 2022, the Huntress Neighborhood Watch Program was designed to secure the "house" of the MSP at no cost. Recognizing that MSPs are high-value targets for supply-chain attacks, Huntress has evolved the program to include its most recent innovations.
The expanded offering now includes **Managed ITDR**, which monitors Microsoft 365 identities to detect account takeovers—a critical defense against BEC. This joins the existing stack of **Managed EDR** for endpoint protection, **Managed Security Awareness Training** for staff education, and 24/7 access to the Huntress **Security Operations Center (SOC)**. The program remains open to all MSPs, regardless of whether they currently resell Huntress products to their end customers.
## Business Impact
### For the Companies Involved
- **Huntress:** This serves as a powerful "product-led growth" (PLG) engine. By securing the MSP's internal environment for free, Huntress builds trust and operational familiarity, making it the path of least resistance when the MSP chooses a vendor for their clients.
### For Competitors
- **Competitive Landscape Impact:** This puts pressure on competitors (e.g., SentinelOne, Blackpoint Cyber, or Sophos) who may charge for NFR licenses. Providing "full-stack" internal protection for free raises the barrier to entry for other vendors seeking to displace Huntress within the MSP’s own tech stack.
### For Customers
- **Impact on MSPs:** MSPs can reduce their internal overhead by offloading internal security monitoring to a third-party SOC at no cost, allowing them to redirect those savings toward growth or client-facing operations.
### For the Market
- **Broader Market Implications:** This reflects a shift in the vendor-MSP relationship from purely transactional to a "community-defense" model. It highlights the industry's realization that an insecure MSP is a systemic risk to the entire SMB ecosystem.
## Technical Implications
The inclusion of **Managed ITDR** is technically significant as it shifts the focus from the device (EDR) to the identity. In a cloud-first world, attackers frequently bypass endpoint defenses via session hijacking or credential theft. Huntress is technically bridging the gap between endpoint telemetry and identity signals to provide a holistic view of the MSP's attack surface.
## Strategic Analysis
- **Market Positioning:** Huntress is positioning itself as the "protector of the protector," moving beyond a simple software vendor to a strategic partner.
- **Competitive Advantage:** The "no strings attached" NFR model creates high "stickiness." Once an MSP integrates the Huntress SOC into their internal daily workflows, the friction of switching to a competitor increases significantly.
- **Challenges:** The primary risk is the cost of supporting "free" users via the human-led SOC. If the program scales too quickly without sufficient conversion to paid client licenses, it could pressure Huntress’s operational margins.
## Industry Reactions
- **Market Response:** With nearly 2,000 MSPs already enrolled, the program has demonstrated significant traction, indicating a high demand for subsidised internal security tools in the SMB sector.
## Future Outlook
- **Predictions:** Expect Huntress to continue adding new modules (such as Managed MDR for Microsoft 365 or potentially SIEM-lite capabilities) to this NFR program as they are developed.
- **What to Watch for:** Monitor whether this leads to a "war of NFRs" among cybersecurity vendors vying for MSP mindshare in 2025.
## For Security Professionals
For practitioners within MSPs, this program provides a zero-cost way to implement a "defense-in-depth" strategy internally. It offers an opportunity to experience professional SOC triage and response workflows without the budgetary hurdles typically associated with enterprise-grade ITDR and EDR tools.