Why MSSPs Must Move Beyond Traditional SOAR to Next-Gen Platforms Like ContraForce

The managed detection and response (MDR) landscape is evolving at breakneck speed. For Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs), the pressure to deliver faster detection, response, and remediation while scaling their operations and reducing their overhead has never been greater. Traditional SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) platforms were once hailed as the answer—but today, they're showing their age.

It’s time for MSSPs to rethink their approach and transition from a traditional SOAR to a next-gen, automated security platform like ContraForce. It isn’t just a tech upgrade—it’s a strategic leap forward.

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This blog outlines what SOAR platform were supposed to do, highlights some of the challenges with SOAR platforms, considers Azure Logic Apps as a case study in SOAR limitations, and looks at ContraForce as a way forward.

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What is a SOAR Platform?

SOAR platforms combine incident response, orchestration and automation capabilities in a single solution. SOAR platforms are also used to document and implement processes (such as playbooks, workflows and processes); support security incident management; and to augment human security analysts with machine-based automation and AI.

Some of the common features of SOAR platforms include:

• Support for a broad range of existing security technologies where the SOAR platform acts as an abstraction layer between the desired security outcomes and the underlying set of security controls.

• Manual or automated triggers that augment human security analyst operators to carry out operational tasks consistently.

• Workflows that enable repeatable automated tasks to be turned into playbooks that run in isolation or joined together into more sophisticated workflows.

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The Problem with Traditional SOAR: Complexity, Cost, and Bottlenecks

While traditional SOAR platforms promised automation and efficiency, they often fall short in key areas that are mission-critical for MSSPs:

• Heavy Customization: Most legacy SOARs require extensive engineering resources to build and maintain playbooks.

• Sluggish Time-to-Value: Long deployment cycles and steep learning curves delay operational impact.

• Limited Scalability: As MSSPs onboard more customers, traditional SOARs can become bottlenecks, requiring proportional increases in staffing to maintain service quality.

• High Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): Between licensing, infrastructure, and specialized personnel, traditional SOAR platforms can quickly eat into margins.

The result? Increased operational friction, slower response times, and a ceiling on growth.

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SOAR Case Study: Azure Logic Apps

Azure Logic Apps is a cloud-based, low-code/no-code platform for building and automating workflows, connecting systems, and integrating data across various environments. It allows users to visually design and execute workflows, connecting diverse systems and services with pre-built operations and connectors. Azure Logic Apps has many applications outside of security but for security purposes, it acts like a SOAR tool.

Like other traditional SOAR tools, Azure Logic Apps runs is challenged by the issues of complexity, cost and bottlenecks outlined above. The truth is that MSSPs using Azure Logic Apps continue to use humans for most tasks.

• Heavy Customization: Often, a Logic App can only be maintained by the person who created it. This stems from the fact that a Logic App usually gets created in response to an urgent issue or as a proof-of concept. As a result, processes for creating Logic Apps are not well documented; repeatable tasks like using a using a naming convention aren’t implemented; and standard workflows aren’t replicated.

• Sluggish Time-to-Value: Since Logic Apps are rarely created as part of proactive processes, they don’t get used for critical workflows. Instead, MSSPs use function apps, such as Azure Functions, to process data or handle individual tasks and often continue to rely on their SOC teams to manually undertake complex workflows.

• Limited Scalability: A key shortfall of Azure Logic Apps is the complexity involved with maintaining a Logic App. As tasks are added to a workflow the complexity of managing the Logic App often grows exponentially. The management challenge is compounded by the lack of transparency into the Logic App functions after it is built. Additionally, customizations that are made on a tenant-by-tenant basis make consistent service delivery across customers challenging.

• High TCO: Creating a Logic App can be time consuming as MSSP staff need to create step-by-step workflows, and then test the workflows, and then troubleshoot and debug them, if necessary. But the bigger expense is often maintenance since Azure Logic Apps can prove time consuming to maintain and can lead to additional secondary costs. For example, with Azure Logic Apps, MSSPs can see which version is running, but it is difficult to roll a Logic App back to an earlier version. Not being able to implement version control can lead to regulatory compliance issues. Overcoming these limitations typically involve implementing expensive human-based processes.

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Enter ContraForce: Next-Gen Security Automation for MSSPs

ContraForce is a modern, cloud-native security operations platform built from the ground up to meet the demands of today’s MSSPs. It flips the script on legacy SOAR platforms by offering:

• Out-of-the-Box, Adaptive Playbooks: Forget starting from scratch. ContraForce comes with curated detection and response workflows that can be activated with a click and optionally set to auto-run. This dramatically reduces setup time and ensures consistent protection across an MSSP’s customer base.

• Rapid Time-to-Value: With built-in integrations and no-code automation, MSSPs can onboard clients in minutes—not weeks. The platform also automatically correlates alerts and enriches data —reducing alert fatigue and improving analyst efficiency. This rapid time-to-value strengthens client relationships and accelerates MSSP ROI.

• True Multitenancy and Scalability: ContraForce supports multitenant environments by design, making it easy to manage multiple clients from a single console. MSSPs can scale service delivery without linear increases in headcount.

• Real Business Outcomes for MSSPs: ContraForce allows MSSPs to realize tangible business benefits. MSSPs can:
  
  • ‍Boost Margins by reducing the need for manual processes and expensive engineering resources. ‍
  • Improve SLAs through faster incident response and streamlined workflows. ‍
  • Accelerate Growth with scalable architecture that supports customer expansion without infrastructure bottlenecks. ‍
  • Increase Customer Retention by delivering proactive, high-quality security services with transparency and speed.

The Bottom Line

MSSPs can no longer afford to treat SOAR as a static tool—they need a dynamic, intelligent platform that grows with them. ContraForce represents the next evolution of security operations: fast, automated, and built for scale.

For MSSPs looking to modernize their service delivery and stay ahead of customer expectations, the choice is clear. It's time to leave the legacy behind.