MDR Alert Coverage Gap Analyzer

Validate whether your managed detection and response provider has enough contracted hours to cover peak alert volume. Input the number of critical alerts, bundled analyst hours, and minutes per alert to see total hours required, utilization, overage fees, and how much headroom you have before breaching response SLAs.

Volume of P1/P2 alerts the MDR will triage each month.
Triage hours bundled in your MDR retainer or subscription.
Mean time to triage, investigate, and close or escalate a critical alert.
Defaults to $220/hour if blank. Enter the rate your MDR charges for extra analyst time.
Defaults to 15 minutes. Used to gauge alert headroom per included hour.

For planning use only. Confirm SLA definitions, overage billing rules, and alert classifications with your MDR provider before finalizing budgets.

Examples

  • 420 alerts, 160 included hours, 18-minute handle time, $225 overage, 15-minute SLA ⇒ Alerts require 126.00 analyst hours/month; included hours 160.00 → utilization 78.75%. Included hours cover projected volume. Estimated overage cost at $225.00/hour: $0.00. Included hours support 533.33 alerts (113.33 headroom). SLA capacity at 3.33 alerts/hour exceeds 4.00 SLA checks/hour.
  • 600 alerts, 120 hours, 20-minute handle time, overage blank, SLA blank ⇒ Alerts require 200.00 analyst hours/month; included hours 120.00 → utilization 100.00%. Coverage shortfall: 80.00 hours over retainer. Estimated overage cost at $220.00/hour: $17,600.00. Included hours support 360.00 alerts (0.00 headroom). SLA capacity at 3.00 alerts/hour exceeds 4.00 SLA checks/hour.

FAQ

How do I include automated triage reductions?

Reduce the alert count to reflect tickets suppressed by SOAR playbooks or automations before they reach the MDR team.

Can this help justify 24/7 coverage upgrades?

Yes. Run scenarios with and without an expanded retainer to quantify how many overage hours and SLA risks disappear once you add overnight coverage.

What if my agreement bills in quarter-hour increments?

Round the average handling time up to the nearest 15 minutes before running the calculation so the required hours mirror how billing is rounded.

Additional Information

  • Handle-time estimates should include investigation, documentation, and escalation, not just triage acknowledgment.
  • If alerts spike seasonally, rerun the calculator with peak-month volumes to size optional burst pools.
  • Compare overage cost against the price of adding 24/7 coverage or increasing retained hours when negotiating your contract.
  • Use SLA capacity output to confirm whether included hours can support contractual response targets as alert counts climb.

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