Network Detection and Response Buy: Sophos Acquires Braintrace

Sophos, backed by private equity firm Thoma Bravo, has acquired Braintrace, an MSSP that specializes in network detection and response (NDR) security technology. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

This is M&A deal 438 that MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E have covered so far in 2020. See the full M&A deal list here.

To be clear, Sophos is not striving to become an MSSP that competes with peer MSSPs and security-minded MSPs. Instead, the company largely remains a software and services provider that supports MSSPs and MSPs. That effort includes a multi-tenant dashboard that allows partners to support multiple customers from a single pane of glass.

How Braintrace Fits Into Sophos

In this deal, Braintrace's developers, data scientists and security analysts have joined Sophos' global managed threat response (MTR) and rapid response teams. Moreover, Braintrace's technology will help Sophos collect and forward third-party event data from firewalls, proxies, virtual private networks (VPNs) and other sources to improve threat detection, hunting and response.

In addition, Sophos will deploy Braintrace's technology as a virtual machine (VM) to inspect north-south traffic at boundaries and east-west traffic within networks, the buyer indicated. This will help Sophos discover network threats and enhance the decryption capabilities of the Sophos Firewall next-generation firewall.

Sophos intends to introduce Braintrace's NDR technology for MTR and extended detection and response (XDR) in the first half of 2022.

A Closer Look at Braintrace

Braintrace delivers intelligence managed detection and response (MDR) that leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to help organizations identify cyber threats, the company said. It also provides a variety of managed cybersecurity services, including:

Furthermore, Braintrace provides IT audits and readiness assessments, control assessments and regulatory or compliance certifications and the Dragonfly intelligent network traffic analysis service.

Sophos Acquires Capsule8, Launches Canadian Data Center

The Braintrace acquisition comes after Sophos in July 2021 purchased Capsule8, which provides runtime visibility, detection and response software for Linux servers and containers. Capsule8 expands Sophos' detection and response solutions and services for underprotected server and cloud environments, the company said.

Furthermore, Sophos in July 2021 opened a data center in Montreal, Canada. This data center supports the Sophos Central cloud management platform, according to the company.

Sophos delivers cybersecurity solutions to more than 500,000 organizations globally. It also provides a partner program that enables MSSPs and MSPs to integrate its cybersecurity products, solutions and services into their portfolios.