Microsoft Security at Scale: How ContraForce Delivers AI Powered Microsoft Defender XDR for MSPs

Founded in 2021, ContraForce is a cybersecurity startup on a mission to democratize enterprise-grade security delivery for managed service providers (MSPs). By building its platform on Microsoft’s robust security and AI ecosystem including Microsoft Sentinel, Defender XDR, Entra ID, and Azure OpenAI with Foundry Models, ContraForce enables even the smallest MSPs to deliver scalable, automated threat detection and response.

Through deep integration with Microsoft technologies and participation in the Microsoft for Startups Pegasus Program, ContraForce rapidly accelerated its go-to-market strategy, forged strategic partnerships, and brought transformative capabilities to frontline IT providers. Today, MSPs using ContraForce can onboard more clients, respond to incidents in minutes, and reduce operational costs without expanding their teams. This is the story of how a startup, powered by Microsoft, is reshaping the cybersecurity landscape for service providers and the businesses they protect.

From SOC Pain Points to Scalable Protection: The Birth of ContraForce

When cybersecurity veterans Stan Golubchik and Ricardo “Ricky” Melendez launched ContraForce in 2021, they weren’t just starting another security company. They were solving a problem they’d lived firsthand. After years of building Security Operations Centers (SOCs) at industry giants like Intel and McAfee, they saw a glaring gap: managed service providers (MSPs) lacked the tools and scale to deliver effective cybersecurity.

Traditional security stacks were complex, siloed, and designed for large enterprises with deep pockets and large dedicated teams. For MSPs, standing up or scaling a 24/7 SOC was often out of reach. ContraForce set out to change that by building a platform that operationalizes Microsoft’s cloud-native security technologies for multi-tenant environments, and by automating the grunt work of incident response with AI.

From day one, ContraForce aligned closely with Microsoft’s security stack. By leveraging Microsoft Sentinel, Defender XDR, Entra ID, and Microsoft Foundry, the startup created a unified platform that allows one analyst to manage up to 10× more customers. The result? A force multiplier for MSPs, delivering enterprise-grade protection at scale, without enterprise-level overhead.

Solution Overview: Built on Microsoft, Designed for Scale

ContraForce’s breakthrough lies in its ability to transform Microsoft’s enterprise-grade security tools into a turnkey solution for MSPs. Rather than reinventing the wheel, the startup built a multi-tenant Security Delivery Platform that operationalizes Microsoft Sentinel, Defender XDR, Entra ID, and Microsoft Foundry for service providers.

Each MSP customer gets a dedicated ContraForce workspace, enabling centralized management of Microsoft Sentinel and Defender XDR through ContraForce’s dashboard. This architecture ensures data isolation, compliance, and customization while giving providers a unified view across all tenants. The platform’s “Gamebooks,” a no-code automation layer, orchestrate incident response across environments, eliminating repetitive tasks and enabling rapid containment.

AI is at the heart of ContraForce’s value. Through Microsoft Foundry and co-development with Microsoft’s AI Co-Innovation Lab, ContraForce built autonomous AI agents that handle over 90% of Level 1 SOC tasks. These AI agents triage, investigate, and apply dispositions to incidents, then determine and execute the appropriate supervised or autonomous response actions. The result: faster resolution, lower costs, and significantly increased analyst capacity.

By deeply integrating with Microsoft’s security stack, ContraForce lowers the barrier to entry for MSPs to launch or scale their Microsoft security services. Providers already using Microsoft tools can onboard quickly, leveraging familiar technologies enhanced by ContraForce’s orchestration and multi-tenancy. This synergy is why Microsoft designated ContraForce a co-build partner and featured the startup in its Pegasus Program—a catalyst that accelerated product development and market access.

Customer Success: Empowering MSPs to Protect More, Spend Less

ContraForce’s impact is best seen through the lens of its customers, MSPs, who now deliver enterprise-grade security without enterprise-scale teams.

One provider, after trialing ContraForce, expanded its client base by 40 businesses it had previously declined due to resource constraints. With AI handling the bulk of incident response, the MSP’s analysts could manage up to 10× more customers, turning a bottleneck into a growth engine.

End-customers benefit too. Incidents that took hours to investigate are now resolved in minutes. ContraForce’s AI agents automatically triage and investigate incidents from Sentinel, Defender, and Entra ID, execute response actions on compromised entities, such as blocking suspicious accounts logging in, often before a human even reviews the incident. This speed not only improves SLA compliance but also reduces the risk of breaches for managed end-customers.

Financially, MSPs report improved margins. By automating manual tasks, they reduce cost-per-incident and free up analysts for higher-value work. Some have launched new service tiers like AI-augmented MXDR. This has created fresh revenue streams with minimal overhead. As one MSP executive put it, “ContraForce doesn’t just protect our clients—it protects and grows our business.”

The platform is also fostering a collaborative ecosystem. For end-customers who need an expert Microsoft security partner, ContraForce enables the partner and end-customer to connect through the platform and begin collaborating quickly on service delivery together. 

Go-to-Market Strategy: Scaling Through Microsoft and MSP Channels

ContraForce’s go-to-market strategy is built on the same principle as its technology: scale through smart partnerships. Rather than selling to individual businesses, ContraForce targets MSPs—the service providers who already protect dozens or hundreds of clients. Every MSP onboarded becomes a multiplier, extending ContraForce’s reach across their customer base.

The startup’s participation in the Microsoft for Startups Pegasus Program was a turning point. Within weeks, ContraForce connected with over 30 Microsoft partners at RSA Conference, initiating deal-stage conversations with major service providers. Microsoft’s endorsement opened doors that would have taken years to unlock independently.

Marketplace presence is another strategic lever. ContraForce has launched listings on the Microsoft Marketplace, Microsoft Security Store Marketplace, and Pax8 Marketplace, a leading cloud distributor for MSPs. These platforms streamline procurement and billing, making it easy for MSPs to adopt ContraForce as part of their existing Microsoft ecosystem. Microsoft sellers are also incentivized to co-sell ContraForce, further amplifying its reach.

Through events, webinars, and joint marketing with Microsoft, ContraForce positions itself not just as a product, but as part of a larger movement, bringing scalable, AI-powered cybersecurity delivery to the underserved SMB market to the SME market via MSPs.

Partnership with Microsoft: Co-Innovation and Acceleration

Microsoft is more than a technology foundation for ContraForce. As a co-build partner, ContraForce worked closely with Microsoft engineers to develop its AI-powered Security Delivery Agents using Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models and Foundry Agent Services. 

Participation in the Microsoft AI Co-Innovation Lab helped ContraForce build enterprise grade AI agents. This agent now automates 90% of Level 1 SOC tasks, integrating seamlessly with Microsoft Sentinel and Defender to triage incidents, investigate incidents, and execute response actions to disrupt cyber-attacks. 

The Pegasus Program also provided go-to-market mentorship, technical validation, and access to Microsoft’s commercial marketplaces. Microsoft featured ContraForce as a cybersecurity success story and named it a Security ISV of the Year in 2024, boosting its credibility in a trust-driven industry.

This deep partnership has enabled ContraForce to move fast, build confidently, and scale globally, leveraging Microsoft’s infrastructure, AI capabilities, and partner network to reach thousands of MSPs worldwide.

Key Outcomes: What MSPs Achieve with ContraForce

ContraForce’s impact is measurable and transformative. Here are the key outcomes MSPs and their clients are experiencing:

Conclusion: Cybersecurity as a Team Sport

ContraForce’s story is a testament to what’s possible when startups and tech giants co-innovate. By building on Microsoft’s security stack and aligning with the needs of MSPs, ContraForce has created a platform that scales protection without scaling complexity.

As CEO Stan Golubchik puts it, “Cybersecurity is a team sport.”  With ContraForce and Microsoft on the same team, even the smallest service providers can deliver world-class defense, empowering thousands of businesses to stay secure in an increasingly hostile digital landscape and be the force against adversaries.