Global cybersecurity company Sophos has acquired United Kingdom based Arco Cyber in a move aimed at strengthening cybersecurity governance and decision making for organisations with varying levels of security maturity. The acquisition enables Sophos to extend AI enhanced cybersecurity assurance to a largely underserved segment of the market, helping organisations gain clearer visibility, stronger control, and improved confidence in managing cyber risk.
With the deal, Sophos is advancing what it describes as Sophos CISO Advantage, a framework designed to bring the strategic insight and discipline of a world class Chief Information Security Officer to organisations, including those without dedicated security leadership. By combining artificial intelligence, integrated security platforms, and human expertise delivered through managed service providers and managed security service providers, Sophos aims to help organisations move beyond basic threat detection to effective governance and risk oversight.
Arco Cyber strengthens this vision by adding capabilities that allow organisations to continuously assess the effectiveness of their security controls, align those controls with compliance and risk frameworks, and present clear, executive level insights that support informed decision making. According to Sophos Chief Executive Officer, Joe Levy, many organisations already deploy strong security tools but lack the ability to govern them properly or determine whether those tools are delivering real risk reduction. He said Arco Cyber brings clarity, accountability, and proof that directly supports Sophos’ long term strategy.
The acquisition also reinforces the role of service partners in delivering cybersecurity leadership at scale. Sophos said most organisations depend on trusted partners to translate insights into action and guide daily security decisions. Through Sophos CISO Advantage, managed service providers and managed security service providers will be equipped with AI driven governance tools and continuous assurance capabilities, allowing them to move from technical operators to strategic security advisors while offering customers greater transparency and control over cyber risk.
Industry analysts note that the move addresses a significant leadership gap in global cybersecurity, with only a fraction of organisations having access to a CISO despite growing regulatory and board level scrutiny. Arco Cyber Chief Executive Officer and co founder, Matt Helling, said the company was founded to help organisations move from assumption to proof in cybersecurity. By joining Sophos, he said, Arco Cyber can scale that mission globally, helping organisations of all sizes turn cybersecurity into a structured, defensible, and trusted business discipline.