The $859 million deal aims to enable MSPs to offer enhanced detection and response to smaller customers, who are relentlessly targeted by cyberattacks, according to Wendy Thomas, CEO of Levy and Secureworks.

The expected acquisition by Sophos from broad detection and response specialist Secureworks will accelerate the cybersecurity giant’s efforts to implement enhanced XDR capabilities to protect often-targeted SMBs, according to Joe Levy, CEO of Sophos.

Even with the addition of enterprise-oriented Secureworks features, “we will maintain our focus on SMB and mid-market because we believe they need superior offerings the most,” Levy said in a statement. press release. interview.

(Related: Sophos-Secureworks merger: 5 takeaways for partners)

Wendy Thomas, CEO of Levy and Secureworks, spoke with CRN last week following the announcement of the $859 million deal between Sophos, which is owned by private equity firm Thoma Bravo, and Secureworks, whose the majority owner is Dell Technologies.

The proposed acquisition would undoubtedly be one of the largest investments in SMB security in recent years and, importantly, would also mean massive new opportunities for partners, including MSPs, according to Levy.

A focus on meeting partner needs “is going to be fundamental to how we bring these companies together,” said Levy, a Sophos veteran who was named the company’s interim CEO in February and permanent CEO. in May.

Thomas said the goal is for the merger to create a combined company that can become an even more formidable player in the fight against cybercriminals who target SMBs and mid-market businesses.

“I believe that when you bring together two significant players bringing together both technology and best-in-class managed detection and response services, you are able to bring enterprise-grade security outcomes that become accessible to the market at an affordable price and with ease of implementation. – it’s changing the industry,” she said.

Executives said that while there is no doubt that Secureworks XDR capabilities will be leveraged to enhance Sophos’ security platform, decisions are still being made regarding integration and whether Secureworks will continue. also to be offered as a standalone platform.

A rapidly growing category in cybersecurity, for an answer.

“More complete offer”

Executives from Sophos’ partner solution providers told CRN they are optimistic about the deal’s potential, saying it should make Sophos more competitive in the XDR and MDR markets while making advanced security more accessible to smaller companies. customers.

To date, while Sophos has a broad portfolio of security offerings, the company does not have a comprehensive set of detection and response capabilities beyond the endpoint, the partners said.

However, assuming the Secureworks deal goes through, “Sophos now has a more comprehensive offering,” said Jason Norred, CISO at Solutions II, a Sophos partner based in Littleton, Colorado.

“Sophos, combined with Secureworks, allows them to manage complete endpoints and MDRs, capture the rest of an organization’s security logs, and benefit from comprehensive XDR response capabilities,” Norred said. “I think it will be a compelling offer.”

The acquisition “definitely makes (Sophos) more competitive,” he said. “It gives them a seat at the table.”

And given the massive threat to SMBs, the investment in bringing greater XDR capabilities to smaller businesses is extremely welcome, according to Norred. “SMEs absolutely need help,” he said.

Ultimately, “I think Sophos-Secureworks is well positioned to provide a go-to-market offering that is sort of an all-in-one solution that really allows SMBs to improve their security program at a point of entry.” , hopefully affordable. » said Norred.

In head-on competition

Other Sophos partners who spoke with CRN agreed, including Michelle Drolet, founder and CEO of Towerwall, a Framingham, Massachusetts-based provider of professional security solutions and services. Drolet said there was no doubt the acquisition allowed Sophos to compete “head on.” with more players in the MDR market, although much depends on integration and pricing models.

Still, many existing MDR providers are “a little expensive for SMBs,” which could give Sophos a huge advantage if it can keep its extensive MDR offering affordable for smaller customers, she said. declared.

Tyler Rasmussen, vice president of cybersecurity at Executech, a Sophos MSP partner based in Salt Lake City, also welcomed Sophos’ proposed acquisition of Secureworks, calling it “a very positive and encouraging sign.”

The agreement “confirms their commitment to invest and continue to improve their XDR and MDR services – which are now absolute requirements for SMEs,” Rasmussen said.

Speaking to CRN, Levy said a key aspect of the upcoming opportunity is that the combined company will bring a “superior” model to security operations – which will in fact “accelerate convergence » of XDR and SIEM (security information and events). management).

“There is certainly tremendous value in the technology that Secureworks has integrated into its Taegis platform,” he said. “I’m very excited about the value enhancements we’ll be able to deliver to our customers as a result of this.”

Vulnerability, identity threat detection

A few specific areas cited by Levy include Secureworks’ vulnerability detection and response capabilities, which “we know will be very valuable to our customers,” he said.

Levy also highlighted Secureworks’ Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) offering, which will augment Sophos’ existing ITDR capabilities in the Microsoft ecosystem.

“The ITDR capabilities developed by Secureworks are ahead of most other security offerings we have seen in the space. So there’s incredible value there,” he said.

Both CEOs highlighted the partner-first mentality of each of their companies, suggesting that this bodes well for the integration of channel programs once the deal closes.

“Turn the tide” against hackers

Thomas, who helped oversee Secureworks’ transition from an MSSP to an XDR-focused security provider, said the company was even inspired by Sophos’ commitment to its partners.

“Sophos has a pretty stellar reputation in the partner ecosystem,” she said, saying the company learned early on that “the example we should emulate is the Sophos partner approach.” .

Levy expressed confidence that the merged company’s relationships with MSPs will be “crucial in turning the tide” in SMEs’ fight against threat actors.

Overall, “I think we have a really powerful opportunity in how we’re going to bring these two units together,” Levy said.