Sophos - Experts & Thought Leaders

Digital workplace solutions and managed services pioneer Espria returns in December with another Optimise IT exhibition, pioneering the discussion on how IT solutions can best work together to provide the ultimate support for businesses and end-user experience.  Post-COVID, Espria hosted a series of Optimise IT webinar discussions, covering themes such as business peace of mind, business readiness and AI integrations for workplace teams. These discussions have featured key spokespeople from some of their pioneering IT solutions partners and provided industry pioneers with a platform to network directly with key decision-makers who are looking for increasingly efficient ways to deliver their IT strategy. Event feature representatives This year’s in-person event will feature representatives from premier vendor partners Gamma, Microsoft (hardware and software), Sophos and Omada by TP-Link, with more vendors to be confirmed. Marketing and Business Strategist, Bryony Thomas, will be giving a keynote speech during the lunch, sharing lessons in preparation, prioritization and attention to detail and how missing these can be catastrophic. The event will be held from 9 am to 2 pm on 3rd December at the Down Hall Hotel, Matching Lane, Hatfield Heath, Bishop’s Stortford. Attendance is free but subject to prior registration on the Espria website. Cybersecurity alliance partnerships Stephen Cook, Sales Director at Espria, commented, “Turning to 2026, cybersecurity has entered a transformative phase, with the cyberthreat landscape accelerating in complexity and scale. Businesses that adopt intelligent monitoring and integrated, adaptive defense strategies will be best positioned to navigate 2026 with confidence.” “Similarly, customer trust is entirely defined by uncompromising data security in today’s environment. Where AI has been rapidly adopted into operations, it has simultaneously amplified the quantity and quality of cyberattacks, creating this paradox for security." "Espria has always prioritized our cybersecurity alliance partnerships as a critical solution for today’s security landscape, especially with the proliferation of AI-boosted attacks, which is why bringing experts such as Micrsoft and Sophos to the table is a key part of building a lasting strategy for SMEs from our previous Optimise events.” Commitment to cyber hygiene and defense practices Cook added: “Peace of mind with data security has always been a part of this and requires a continuous commitment to cyber hygiene and defense practices from experts and clients alike. It’s not just about the most high-technology solutions, but the ones that work best within businesses and align with existing operations seamlessly." "Our mission is to lead the conversation for enterprises of all sizes to navigate their modern technology needs, and that ensures any technology introduced, particularly AI tools, provides a strategic boost without hindering operations or opening up wider attack surfaces."  Comprehensive security strategies Cook concludes, “Educating our customer businesses who may be neglecting their endpoint security is an essential way to show security support. We’ve seen that customers, particularly smaller businesses with limited cyber skills or expert access, need that guidance when it comes to network security." "Thankfully, we can provide those skills and in this instance the forum for expert minds to collaborate, providing those all-comprehensive security strategies needed to tackle the cyber threats of today and tomorrow.”

Sophos, a pioneer of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, announces the launch of Sophos Advisory Services, a suite of security testing services designed to identify gaps in organizations’ security programs. These offerings – External Penetration Testing, Internal Penetration Testing, Wireless Network Penetration Testing, and Web Application Security Assessment – help fortify an organization’s defenses against cyberattacks and optimize their current security investments. Demonstrating regulatory compliance Regardless of an organization’s size or security maturity, assessing cybersecurity posture is critical to staying ahead of threat actors, demonstrating regulatory compliance, and building trust with customers, partners, and stakeholders. The Sophos State of Ransomware 2025 report highlights that the number one root cause for ransomware attacks is exploited vulnerabilities, and 65% of organizations reported a known or unknown security gap as a reason for being exposed to a ransomware attack. “Adversaries are increasingly skilled at exploiting the smallest cracks in an organization’s security program. With Sophos Advisory Services, we give customers a proactive advantage - helping them find and fix weaknesses before attackers can exploit them. Backed by real-time insights from Sophos X-Ops threat intelligence, our experts enable organizations to strengthen resilience, meet compliance requirements, and build lasting trust with stakeholders,” Jake Dorval, Senior Director, Sophos Advisory Services. Incident response engagements The following services — informed with leading threat intelligence research and insights from Sophos X-Ops, along with findings from threat hunting and incident response engagements — are now available: External Penetration Testing: Simulates an attacker trying to breach the perimeter from the outside. Internal Penetration Testing: Simulates an insider threat or an attacker who has already breached the perimeter, focusing on systems, applications, and data within the internal network. Wireless Network Penetration Testing: Assesses the security of an organization's Wi-Fi networks and infrastructure and evaluates their compliance with appropriate mandates. Web Application Security Assessment: Tests an organization’s web applications for security vulnerabilities and design weaknesses. Neutralisation of active threats Sophos Emergency Incident Response provides rapid identification and neutralisation of active threats Sophos Advisory Services are delivered by dedicated testers with vast cross-discipline security expertise spanning security research, threat intelligence, law enforcement, military and other backgrounds who joined Sophos through the recent acquisition of Secureworks.  The team holds hundreds of security certifications, has earned top finishes in capture the flag competitions, and is supported by Sophos X-Ops security analysts, threat intelligence and research specialists. Sophos will release additional Advisory Services in the coming months. Sophos Advisory Services are the latest addition to Sophos’ fast-growing security services portfolio that also includes Sophos Emergency Incident Response. Converging incident response expertise from Sophos and Secureworks in a single, hourly-billing offering, Sophos Emergency Incident Response provides rapid identification and neutralisation of active threats and is available to any organization experiencing a live incident.

Espria, a major UK managed services provider, announced it will be hosting "SOC vs The Clock," a high-intensity, immersive simulation event in partnership with Sophos. This experience is designed to provide IT and finance/operational leaders with a first-hand experience of the speed, impact and financial ramifications of a cybersecurity breach. "SOC vs The Clock" is a first-of-its-kind event that brings together the IT and finance/data functions to tackle a simulated cyber-attack, providing a unique opportunity to see the impact and costs unfold in real-time. Technical and financial perspective Participants will be split into teams to collaborate and approach problems from both a technical and financial perspective, to put their skills and knowledge of cyber defenses to the test. The event will be held on 7th October at Churchill War Rooms. “The real cost of a cyberattack and its complexity are a whole business concern, rather than just the exclusive responsibility for the IT department. There is a real need to protect the business as a whole, rather than just the data held,” commented Stephen Cook, Head of Sales at Espria. "We wanted to share an experience that moves beyond passive theoretical presentations and puts leaders in the hot seat. In a cyberattack, every second counts, and delays and indecision can cost companies dearly. Unless you're in the room when it’s happening, it's impossible to understand the pressure of protecting your business during a live cyberattack." Need for unified security strategy “By having IT and operational teams work in tandem, against the clock, we are aiming to impart a much deeper appreciation for the critical need for a unified security strategy. This event is about empowering organizations to make faster, more informed decisions to save their businesses." Cook concludes, “It’s time for business leaders to ask themselves the tough questions. Are you tested and ready for phishing attacks? Do you have the right protocols in place, are you actively scanning for vulnerabilities, and what is your MDR strategy?” “We believe this event is unmissable for IT and finance leaders, who must lead the charge together to build a more resilient, collaborative security posture for their business.”