Security outfit Sophos has bought Capsule8 which provides runtime visibility, detection and response for Linux production servers and containers covering on-premise and cloud workloads.
Sophos chief product officer Dan Schiappa said that Sophos was already protecting more than two million servers for over 85,000 customers worldwide. In addition, the Sophos server security business is growing at more than 20 percent per year.
“Comprehensive server protection is a crucial component of any effective cybersecurity strategy that organisations of all sizes are increasingly focused on, especially as more workloads move to the cloud. With Capsule8, Sophos is delivering advanced, differentiated solutions to protect server environments, and expanding its position as a leading global cybersecurity provider.”
Capsule8 is only interested in Linux security. Driven by the increase in cloud platforms, Linux has become the dominant operating system for server workloads. Capsule8’s high-performance, low-impact design is, Sophos thinks, ideal for Linux servers, especially those used for high-scale workloads, production infrastructure and storing critical business data.
451 Research principal analyst Fernando Montenegro said the main idea behind Capsule8 is that providing enterprise-grade security for Linux systems requires deploying components that are designed specifically for that environment.
“These components are more adept at making the trade-offs between security and performance when needed, to achieve the desired levels of resilience and protection”, he said.
“As organisations move to embrace concepts such as cloud-based delivery and DevOps, the underlying compute environments shift noticeably toward Linux as a frequent execution environment. For security teams, often more familiar with Windows-centric concepts, this represents a potential challenge – there are different demands, concepts and practices for Linux. This is the space that Capsule8 aims to address with its endpoint security offering, combining an architecture optimised for Linux with more features aimed at enterprise security and IT operations teams.”
Sophos will integrate Capsule8 technology into its recently launched Adaptive Cybersecurity Ecosystem (ACE), providing Linux server and cloud container security within this open platform.
Sophos will feature Capsule8 technology in its Extended Detection and Response (XDR) solutions, Intercept X server protection products, and Sophos Managed Threat Response (MTR) and Rapid Response services. This will further expand and enhance Sophos’ data lake and deliver continuous, fresh intelligence for advanced threat hunting, security operations and customer protection practices.
Capsule8 CEO John Viega said: “We’ve innovated new approaches to deliver runtime security in a much safer and more cost-effective way than anyone else in the industry. With Capsule8’s technology, organisations are no longer forced to choose between system stability and security risk. Given the growth and mission-critical nature of Linux environments, and the fast-changing, targeted threat landscape, organisations must be confident that their Linux environments are both performant and secure.” Innovated new approaches? Marketspeak gone bonkers.
