Sophos has acquired Arco Cyber, a UK-based cybersecurity support company dedicated to helping organizations improve their strategy and stay ahead of compliance requirements and emerging threats. The acquisition is an important step in Sophos’ commitment to help organizations strengthen their cybersecurity strategy and governance at all levels of maturity, through its global ecosystem of partners. Sophos calls it Sophos CISO Advantage: a set of capabilities designed to scale the knowledge, judgment and operational discipline of a world-class CISO to organizations with or without dedicated security staff.
Effective security controls
This ecosystem combines agentic AI, integrated platforms and proven human expertise, in collaboration with managed service providers (MSP) and managed security service providers (MSSP). Advances in agentic and AI-assisted systems enable real-time insights into control performance while relying on human oversight and judgment.
Arco Cyber accelerates this vision by adding capabilities that help organizations continually validate whether security controls are effective, map controls to risk and compliance frameworks, and present clear information to executives that supports better decision making.
“There is a lot of exemplary security technology on the market,” said Joe Levy, CEO of Sophos. “What most organizations don’t have is the ability to manage those tools, understand whether controls are working properly, and make informed decisions about risk. Arco has created a platform and team that offers clarity, accountability, and reliability. This work aligns directly with our strategy and gives clients a stronger foundation to simplify regulatory compliance and manage cyber risk with confidence.”
Strategic security advisors
A critical element of Sophos CISO Advantage is the role of MSPs and MSSPs in delivering these capabilities at scale. Most organizations rely on trusted partners to translate information into action, provide context, and guide daily decision making. Sophos CISO Advantage is designed to strengthen this relationship, providing partners with AI-based governance, continuous support and a clear view of risk, allowing them to offer CISO leadership as a service. The approach allows MSPs and MSSPs to elevate their role from technology operators to strategic security advisors, in turn offering clients greater clarity, control and confidence in cyber risk management.
There are an estimated 359 million organizations worldwide, but fewer than 32,000 have a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)(1). Those with CISOs or other dedicated security leaders also require clear risk assessments, governance, prioritization, and the ability to demonstrate security effectiveness to boards, regulators, and insurers.
“As cybersecurity evolves beyond alerts and point solutions, organizations are increasingly focused on demonstrating impact, not just activity,” says Phil Harris, Research Director, Governance, Risk and Compliance Solutions at IDC. “Boards, regulators and insurers are looking for clear evidence that security investments are reducing risk and strengthening governance. Platforms that integrate detection and response with risk-based measurement and advice are better suited to how organizations actually work. The combination of Sophos and Arco Cyber represents a new category of platform-based cybersecurity that connects operations, support and risk-based outcomes.”
For organizations with a CISO or similar leadership, Sophos CISO Advantage will provide a more efficient and integrated way to manage risk, monitor progress and communicate results. For organizations that do not have it, it will offer practical guidance, at the CISO level, that will help them take control of their security strategy and decisions.
Sophos CISO Advantage is designed to strengthen this relationship by providing partners with AI-powered governance.
“Arco was founded to help organizations move from assumption to proof in cybersecurity,” concludes Matt Helling, CEO and Co-Founder of Arco Cyber. “By joining Sophos, we can deliver on that mission and reach many more customers who struggle to demonstrate control effectiveness, prioritize risks, and justify security decisions. Sophos shares our belief that cybersecurity must deliver clarity, trust, and control, not just data. Together, we can help organizations of all sizes turn security into a managed, defensible business discipline.”
Arco Cyber will join Sophos as a dedicated team to drive Sophos CISO Advantage. Their technology and expertise will be integrated into Sophos Central, the platform that delivers the broader Sophos ecosystem, including consulting, managed detection and response (MDR), and partner-delivered services that enable MSPs and MSSPs to scale their clients’ cybersecurity strategy.
