Latest news with #Sophos'
New Straits Times
27-06-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Half of ransomware victims paid hackers, according to a study
KUALA LUMPUR: Nearly 50 per cent of organisations affected by ransomware chose to pay the ransom to recover their data, the second-highest rate recorded in six years, according to cybersecurity company Sophos. The data comes from Sophos' sixth annual State of Ransomware report, a vendor-neutral global survey of IT and cybersecurity leaders across 17 countries, offering insights into the real-world impact of ransomware on businesses. Notably, while many victims opted to pay, 53 per cent of them ended up negotiating and paying less than the attackers' original demand. In 71 per cent of those cases, companies managed to lower the amount through negotiation, either on their own or with the help of a third party. The survey also found that from 2024 to 2025, the median ransom demand dropped by a third and the median payment fell by half, indicating companies are becoming more effective at limiting ransomware impact. Overall, the median ransom payment was one million dollars, although the initial demand varied significantly depending on organisation size and revenue. The median ransom demand for companies with over US$1 billion in revenue was five million dollars, while organisations with US$250 million in revenue or less saw median ransom demands of less than US$350,000. Meanwhile, the study also found that for the third year in a row, exploited vulnerabilities were the leading technical root cause of attacks. In addition, 40 per cent of ransomware victims said attackers took advantage of a security gap they were not aware of, highlighting the ongoing challenge organisations face in identifying and securing their attack surface. Overall, 63 per cent of organisations said resourcing issues contributed to them falling victim to the attack. Lack of expertise was the top operational cause among organisations with more than 3,000 employees, while lack of people or capacity was most often cited by those with 251 to 500 employees. Sophos director and global field chief information security officer (CISO) Chester Wisniewski said for many organisations, the chance of being compromised by ransomware actors is just a part of doing business in 2025. "The good news is that, thanks to this increased awareness, many companies are arming themselves with resources to limit damage. "This includes hiring incident responders who can not only lower ransom payments but also speed up recovery and even stop attacks in progress," he said in a statement. He added that ransomware can still be "cured" by tackling the root causes of attacks, such as exploited vulnerabilities, lack of visibility into the attack surface, and limited resources. He noted that Sophos is seeing more companies recognise they need help and move to managed detection and response (MDR) services for defence. "MDR coupled with proactive security strategies, such as multifactor authentication and patching, can go a long way in preventing ransomware from the start," he said. Data for the State of Ransomware 2025 report comes from a vendor-agnostic survey of 3,400 IT and cybersecurity leaders in organisations that were hit by ransomware in the previous year. Organisations surveyed ranged from 100 to 5,000 employees and across 17 countries.
Channel Post MEA
21-05-2025
- Business
- Channel Post MEA
Sophos To Launch New Data Center In The UAE
Sophos has announced plans to launch a new data center in the UAE by year end. The expansion is part of Sophos' broader regional investment strategy and reinforce its commitment to supporting the UAE's vision of becoming a global digital hub, while enabling local organizations to benefit from enhanced performance, data sovereignty, and regulatory compliance. Hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS) infrastructure within the UAE, the data center will power Sophos' advanced, cloud native security solutions – bringing improved performance, regulatory compliance, and data sovereignty to organizations across the region. 'This launch reflects our mission to defend organizations of all sizes against inevitable cyberattacks with unmatched expertise and adaptive defenses,' said Gerard Allison, senior vice president EMEA Sales at Sophos. 'By bringing local infrastructure to the UAE, we're delivering on our vision of enabling every organization to achieve superior cybersecurity outcomes. This expansion supports our strategy of democratizing, leveraging AI and automation, and empowering our partners to scale securely.' Key Benefits for Local Customers: Enhanced Data Sovereignty: Local hosting ensures adherence to national and sector – specific regulations – critical for industries like government, healthcare, and finance. Local hosting ensures adherence to national and sector – specific regulations – critical for industries like government, healthcare, and finance. Improved Performance: Reduces latency for faster responsiveness for cloud – based services, including Sophos Central. Reduces latency for faster responsiveness for cloud – based services, including Sophos Central. Enterprise and Public Sector Readiness: Built to meet the high standards of mission – critical environments with advanced security and operational resilience. Enabling Regional Partners The new data center enables Sophos' regional partners to deliver in-region data hosting to their customers, enabling them to meet local compliance demands while improving service delivery. It also reflects Sophos' ongoing commitment to empowering partners with the tools, performance, and innovation needed to succeed in an evolving threat landscape. 0 0
Web Release
10-04-2025
- Business
- Web Release
Sophos Names Chris Bell as Senior Vice President of Global Channel, Alliances and Corporate Development to Lead Next Evolution of Global Channel Strategy
Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, today announced it has named Chris Bell as senior vice president of global channel, alliances and corporate development, where he will lead the evolution of Sophos' global channel strategy. This key appointment reinforces Sophos' channel-first commitment to deliver a world-class partner experience. Bell joined Sophos following its acquisition of Secureworks, where he served as chief strategy officer, responsible for long-term vision, strategic partnerships, corporate development and strategy. Building on his career of more than two decades working in the technology industry, including nearly a decade in cybersecurity and channel; Bell's leadership will focus on developing and executing a channel strategy that prioritizes expanding reach, empowering partners and driving growth. Key priorities for Bell at Sophos will include: · Enhancing Sophos Partner Experience to make it seamless for partners to do business with Sophos at high velocity, while streamlining operations. · Continued Innovation for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) with Sophos' industry-leading cybersecurity platform, enabling superior cybersecurity outcomes for customers, enhancing operational efficiency for security analysts, and boosting profitability for partners. · Fueling Partner Growth with service delivery competencies, expanded partner enablement programs including persona-based training and fast-track training to expand partners cybersecurity expertise. · Increasing Sophos' Market Reach by leveraging the unified portfolio of Sophos and Secureworks to deliver best-in-class security technologies and services, empowering partners to enhance cybersecurity and strengthen the security posture of organizations, from commercial to enterprise. · Expanding Routes to Market by bolstering Sophos' presence across technology alliances, marketplaces and the cyber insurance ecosystem. Sophos will also continue to maintain its focus across resellers, service providers, and OEM channels. 'Partners need adaptable strategies that prioritize flexibility to stay ahead of the increasingly complex threat landscape,' said Bell. 'Unifying Sophos' and Secureworks' portfolios presents a unique opportunity to accelerate a future-ready channel program that arms partners with the technology, services, insights, and enablement needed to protect customers and fuel long-term growth.' A core piece of Sophos' channel strategy is to better equip partners in addressing the evolving security challenges faced by businesses of all sizes. By aligning more closely with partner needs and prioritizing an open ecosystem, Sophos aims to create a stronger partner network that supports customers from strategy to technology and deployment. 'Evolving our channel business to consistently deliver excellent customer outcomes is at the core of our partner go-to-market approach,' said Torjus Gylstorff, chief revenue officer at Sophos. 'We are thrilled to have Chris' strategic vision and deep channel and cybersecurity expertise to shape Sophos' channel strategy and build programs to empower partners to scale their security business.' Sophos consistently expands its service delivery capabilities and is recognized for its leadership in implementing partner feedback into its products and enablement offerings. Following the acquisition of Secureworks, Sophos is the leading pure-play cybersecurity vendor of managed detection and response services, protecting more than 28,000 global customers. Sophos also strives to streamline partner operations through initiatives like Sophos Partner Care, a 24×7 team dedicated to providing quoting, licensing and general partner account support, and Sophos Customer Success, a single point of contact for maximizing customer onboarding, retention and growth throughout the post-sales experience. Sophos Channel Recognition Sophos has been recognized as a Champion in the Canalys Global Cybersecurity Leadership Matrix 2025, underscoring its excellence in channel management and market performance. Additionally, Sophos received a 5-Star Award in the 2025 CRN Partner Program Guide and has been a recipient of the 5-Star Award for the past 12 years. The CRN Partner Program Guide is a key resource that helps solution providers identify vendor programs aligned with their business goals and committed to delivering high partner value. To learn more about the Sophos Partner Program, visit:
Al Bawaba
09-04-2025
- Business
- Al Bawaba
Sophos Names Chris Bell as Senior Vice President of Global Channel, Alliances and Corporate Development to Lead Next Evolution of Global Channel Strategy
Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, today announced it has named Chris Bell as senior vice president of global channel, alliances and corporate development, where he will lead the evolution of Sophos' global channel strategy. This key appointment reinforces Sophos' channel-first commitment to deliver a world-class partner experience. Bell joined Sophos following its acquisition of Secureworks, where he served as chief strategy officer, responsible for long-term vision, strategic partnerships, corporate development and strategy. Building on his career of more than two decades working in the technology industry, including nearly a decade in cybersecurity and channel; Bell's leadership will focus on developing and executing a channel strategy that prioritizes expanding reach, empowering partners and driving growth. Key priorities for Bell at Sophos will include:Enhancing Sophos Partner Experience to make it seamless for partners to do business with Sophos at high velocity, while streamlining operations. Continued Innovation for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) with Sophos' industry-leading cybersecurity platform, enabling superior cybersecurity outcomes for customers, enhancing operational efficiency for security analysts, and boosting profitability for Partner Growth with service delivery competencies, expanded partner enablement programs including persona-based training and fast-track training to expand partners cybersecurity expertise. Increasing Sophos' Market Reach by leveraging the unified portfolio of Sophos and Secureworks to deliver best-in-class security technologies and services, empowering partners to enhance cybersecurity and strengthen the security posture of organizations, from commercial to Routes to Market by bolstering Sophos' presence across technology alliances, marketplaces and the cyber insurance ecosystem. Sophos will also continue to maintain its focus across resellers, service providers, and OEM channels.'Partners need adaptable strategies that prioritize flexibility to stay ahead of the increasingly complex threat landscape,' said Bell. 'Unifying Sophos' and Secureworks' portfolios presents a unique opportunity to accelerate a future-ready channel program that arms partners with the technology, services, insights, and enablement needed to protect customers and fuel long-term growth.' A core piece of Sophos' channel strategy is to better equip partners in addressing the evolving security challenges faced by businesses of all sizes. By aligning more closely with partner needs and prioritizing an open ecosystem, Sophos aims to create a stronger partner network that supports customers from strategy to technology and deployment. 'Evolving our channel business to consistently deliver excellent customer outcomes is at the core of our partner go-to-market approach,' said Torjus Gylstorff, chief revenue officer at Sophos. 'We are thrilled to have Chris' strategic vision and deep channel and cybersecurity expertise to shape Sophos' channel strategy and build programs to empower partners to scale their security business.'Sophos consistently expands its service delivery capabilities and is recognized for its leadership in implementing partner feedback into its products and enablement offerings. Following the acquisition of Secureworks, Sophos is the leading pure-play cybersecurity vendor of managed detection and response services, protecting more than 28,000 global customers. Sophos also strives to streamline partner operations through initiatives like Sophos Partner Care, a 24x7 team dedicated to providing quoting, licensing and general partner account support, and Sophos Customer Success, a single point of contact for maximizing customer onboarding, retention and growth throughout the post-sales Channel RecognitionSophos has been recognized as a Champion in the Canalys Global Cybersecurity Leadership Matrix 2025, underscoring its excellence in channel management and market performance. Additionally, Sophos received a 5-Star Award in the 2025 CRN Partner Program Guide and has been a recipient of the 5-Star Award for the past 12 years. The CRN Partner Program Guide is a key resource that helps solution providers identify vendor programs aligned with their business goals and committed to delivering high partner value. To learn more about the Sophos Partner Program, visit: © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
Channel Post MEA
09-04-2025
- Business
- Channel Post MEA
Sophos Names Chris Bell As SVP Of Global Channel
Sophos has named Chris Bell as senior vice president of global channel, alliances and corporate development, where he will lead the evolution of Sophos' global channel strategy. This key appointment reinforces Sophos' channel-first commitment to deliver a world-class partner experience. Bell joined Sophos following its acquisition of Secureworks, where he served as chief strategy officer, responsible for long-term vision, strategic partnerships, corporate development and strategy. Building on his career of more than two decades working in the technology industry, including nearly a decade in cybersecurity and channel; Bell's leadership will focus on developing and executing a channel strategy that prioritizes expanding reach, empowering partners and driving growth. Key priorities for Bell at Sophos will include: Enhancing Sophos Partner Experience to make it seamless for partners to do business with Sophos at high velocity, while streamlining operations. to make it seamless for partners to do business with Sophos at high velocity, while streamlining operations. Continued Innovation for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) with Sophos' industry-leading cybersecurity platform, enabling superior cybersecurity outcomes for customers, enhancing operational efficiency for security analysts, and boosting profitability for partners. with Sophos' industry-leading cybersecurity platform, enabling superior cybersecurity outcomes for customers, enhancing operational efficiency for security analysts, and boosting profitability for partners. Fueling Partner Growth with service delivery competencies, expanded partner enablement programs including persona-based training and fast-track training to expand partners cybersecurity expertise. with service delivery competencies, expanded partner enablement programs including persona-based training and fast-track training to expand partners cybersecurity expertise. Increasing Sophos' Market Reach by leveraging the unified portfolio of Sophos and Secureworks to deliver best-in-class security technologies and services, empowering partners to enhance cybersecurity and strengthen the security posture of organizations, from commercial to enterprise. by leveraging the unified portfolio of Sophos and Secureworks to deliver best-in-class security technologies and services, empowering partners to enhance cybersecurity and strengthen the security posture of organizations, from commercial to enterprise. Expanding Routes to Market by bolstering Sophos' presence across technology alliances, marketplaces and the cyber insurance ecosystem. Sophos will also continue to maintain its focus across resellers, service providers, and OEM channels. 'Partners need adaptable strategies that prioritize flexibility to stay ahead of the increasingly complex threat landscape,' said Bell. 'Unifying Sophos' and Secureworks' portfolios presents a unique opportunity to accelerate a future-ready channel program that arms partners with the technology, services, insights, and enablement needed to protect customers and fuel long-term growth.' A core piece of Sophos' channel strategy is to better equip partners in addressing the evolving security challenges faced by businesses of all sizes. By aligning more closely with partner needs and prioritizing an open ecosystem, Sophos aims to create a stronger partner network that supports customers from strategy to technology and deployment. 'Evolving our channel business to consistently deliver excellent customer outcomes is at the core of our partner go-to-market approach,' said Torjus Gylstorff, chief revenue officer at Sophos. 'We are thrilled to have Chris' strategic vision and deep channel and cybersecurity expertise to shape Sophos' channel strategy and build programs to empower partners to scale their security business.' Sophos consistently expands its service delivery capabilities and is recognized for its leadership in implementing partner feedback into its products and enablement offerings. Following the acquisition of Secureworks, Sophos is the leading pure-play cybersecurity vendor of managed detection and response services, protecting more than 28,000 global customers. Sophos also strives to streamline partner operations through initiatives like Sophos Partner Care, a 24×7 team dedicated to providing quoting, licensing and general partner account support, and Sophos Customer Success, a single point of contact for maximizing customer onboarding, retention and growth throughout the post-sales experience. Sophos Channel Recognition Sophos has been recognized as a Champion in the Canalys Global Cybersecurity Leadership Matrix 2025, underscoring its excellence in channel management and market performance. Additionally, Sophos received a 5-Star Award in the 2025 CRN Partner Program Guide and has been a recipient of the 5-Star Award for the past 12 years. The CRN Partner Program Guide is a key resource that helps solution providers identify vendor programs aligned with their business goals and committed to delivering high partner value. 0 0
