Managed security for small businesses using Google Workspace

For a small business using Google Workspace, compare Google identity coverage and the person who acts on an alert before comparing a per-seat rate. A Microsoft-focused identity product is not a substitute unless it explicitly supports your Google tenant.

Obsidian Ridge's Ridge Core includes endpoint MDR and Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace ITDR at $25 per person per month, month-to-month with no minimum and business onboarding separate. Huntress's SOC monitors and acts 24/7; Obsidian Ridge provides CISSP-led follow-through within one business day, serving the Research Triangle and businesses across the United States. This comparison includes our service and the underlying vendor, so it is not an independent ranking. Public pages were fetched October 2, 2026. A missing published figure is shown as such, not estimated from a competitor's price.

Which options cover Google Workspace identities?

The direct vendor row is identity monitoring alone. Our Core row bundles it with endpoint MDR and follow-through. Neither is the same purchase as a Workspace licence. The wider ITDR comparison covers Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace side by side.

What should you configure before adding a tool?

Google's small-business checklist covers account protection, administrator practices, recovery and application access. Work through it with the person who controls the tenant. Ask for evidence that the settings apply to every relevant account, including administrators. Google checklist.

Use the Google Workspace security review to structure the conversation. A monitoring service can detect activity within its scope; it does not remove the need to manage account creation, access removal and approved applications.

What does managed response actually mean?

Ask each provider which Google events it detects, which actions it can take and what permissions it needs. Have it distinguish a notification, a recommended action and an action it performs. Do not copy a Microsoft capability into a Google column without a supporting source.

For our managed ITDR, the SOC and Obsidian Ridge have separate responsibilities as stated above. The business still needs a named administrator and a contact who can approve actions. There is no personal emergency hotline or unlimited recovery promise hidden in the monthly rate.

What else belongs in the budget?

Keep the Workspace licence, managed security service and one-time setup on separate lines. Our business onboarding is $500 for up to 25 machines, or $1,000 for 26 to 100. Staff count and machine count are different inputs, and unassigned shared computers count as a person under the current tiers.

Ridge Plus costs $50 per person per month on an annual term, billed monthly, with no minimum. It adds staff training, email-security configuration and a secure browser to Ridge Core; business onboarding is separate. Read the training scope and pricing before assuming every identity-monitoring offer includes training or email configuration. Backup is outside these tiers.

When is running it yourself reasonable?

Self-run controls fit when someone has the authority, time and skills to configure the tenant, review events and respond consistently. Write down the owner and the coverage when that person is unavailable. A product dashboard does not answer those operational questions.

If a carrier asks for proof, begin with free application help, the questionnaire worksheet and the separately scoped Readiness Sprint. Ask for a briefing using your actual tenant and device inventory.

Sources

• Google security checklist for businesses with 1–100 users: self-run administrative controls.
• Huntress ITDR: supported identity platforms.
• Huntress pricing: rate at its stated volume, direct minimum and standard term; values flow from the shared Huntress facts.
• Obsidian Ridge pricing and ITDR service: current bundle and responsibilities.