Sophos picks up Invincea as machine learning is the future for security software
Sophos has acquired Invincea, a provider of endpoint security solutions, in a deal that set the network and endpoint security software firm back $100 million. Invincea, a well-regarded, US-based company, uses machine learning to detect malware and other sophisticated attacks.
The rapid pace at which new attacks are being devised against corporate networks means it’s increasingly difficult for security software vendors to keep up using traditional methods. Machine learning is emerging as the optimal way to detect cyber attacks that may not have been previously encountered.
“Invincea will strengthen Sophos’ leading next-gen endpoint protection with complementary predictive defenses that we believe will become increasingly important to the future of endpoint protection,” Sophos CEO Kris Hagerman said in a statement. Invincea COO Norm Laudermilch said his company is looking to “disrupt” the traditional approach to antivirus:“Even now, no single technology is enough to fully protect customers.” This is the goal for the combined group: to bring together their technologies create a solid solution to this problem.
This may end up happening sooner rather than later. Hagerman said to ChannelWeb that the deal should be integrated into its product portfolio within this year. Sophos is also likely to pick up some more companies in relatively short order. The Oxfordshire company has acquired half a dozen businesses over the last few years, and Hagerman indicated that the plan is to continue at a similar pace.
The cost of cybercrime is expected to reach $6 trillion every year by 2021, twice the 2015 number, and the experts have never been more motivated and proactive. Machine learning is undoubtedly going to be at the heart of this next phase for security software, and we’re excited to follow this area as M&A continues at pace.