How to Secure a Under $1,000/Month budget

To secure a small business for under $1,000 per month using Sophos MDR Complete and complementary cybersecurity essentials, a comprehensive approach includes endpoint protection, managed detection and response, network security hardware, risk management, identity detection, CREM integration, and cloud backup solutions.

Sophos MDR Complete is a managed detection and response service providing 24/7 threat monitoring, expert-led hunting, incident response, and breach protection warranty. It integrates endpoint detection and response (EDR) and extended detection and response (XDR), working across Sophos and third-party tools. Pricing is simple, per-user or per-server, with no hidden fees, typically starting around $241 per user/year for 10–24 users, which averages roughly $20/month per user with additional server coverage available separately.sophos+3

Network security essentials from Sophos include the Sophos Switch Series providing secure multi-gigabit Ethernet access for wired and wireless devices including management of network switches and Wi-Fi access points. These switches support Active Threat Response to isolate compromised hosts automatically, integrating fully with Sophos MDR to provide layered security across the LAN edge. Sophos Secure Wi-Fi further extends unified management of wireless alongside firewalls, switches, and endpoints via Sophos Central cloud platform.sophos+1

Key added security components to complete your business protection plan include:

Sophos Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR), which protects identities and credentials with simple subscription pricing aligned with user and server counts.
Trend Micro Cyber Risk Exposure Management (CREM) integration for proactive risk discovery, assessment, and AI-guided remediation that enhances the Sophos security ecosystem.
Backup services for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace to safeguard cloud data with solutions like Infrascale or CubeBackup, which offer versioned, incremental backups at as low as a few dollars per user per year ensuring business continuity.

A realistic monthly budget for a business of roughly 20 users incorporating these Sophos essentials plus backup would look like:

Solution	Estimated Monthly Cost	Features
Sophos MDR Complete	$400 (20 users approx.)	24/7 MDR, EDR/XDR, incident response
Sophos Switches & Secure Wi-Fi	$150–$200	Multi-gigabit switches, Wi-Fi management, threat isolation
Sophos ITDR	$50–$100	Identity protection, cloud-based subscription
Trend Micro CREM	$30–$40	Risk exposure management, AI-driven remediation
Backup for MS365/Google Workspace	~$30	Cloud app backup, versioning, fast recovery
Total Monthly	$660–$820	Comprehensive protection with layered security

This plan provides basic and advanced managed security features, network control, identity theft defense, cyber risk reduction, and cloud data recovery, all within a $1,000 monthly budget. Sophos MDR Complete effectively anchors this stack with expert monitoring and response, while added components address network hardware, identity, risk, and backup to ensure a best-in-class security posture for small businesses.sophos+6

This strategic combination enables a highly manageable, scalable cybersecurity framework tailored for small to medium businesses aiming to maintain secure operations with expert support for under $1,000 per month.