Critical Start's MDR (Managed Detection and Response) service for Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR is a managed security offering that wraps detection, alert resolution, and breach prevention capabilities around the Cortex XDR platform. The service ingests endpoint, network, and cloud data from Cortex XDR Prevent and Pro via a bi-directional integration, enabling monitoring of an unlimited volume of data. All alerts — regardless of priority level — are reviewed and resolved by the Critical Start security operations team. In addition to MDR, Critical Start provides next-generation firewall consulting and support for Palo Alto Networks environments, covering deployments ranging from small organizations to enterprise-scale infrastructures. Analysts are supported through the Critical Start MOBILESOC app, available on iOS and Android, which enables incident triage, containment actions, and team collaboration from mobile devices — extending SOC capabilities beyond a fixed workstation. The service has been applied in ransomware incident response scenarios, where low-priority alerts containing indicators of malicious activity were identified and acted upon to contain breaches and reduce business downtime.