Telecom
Sophos and Pax8 Forge Strategic Partnership to Enhance Security Management for MSPs
Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, today announced a strategic partnership with Pax8, the leading cloud commerce marketplace.
The collaboration introduces the most comprehensive portfolio of cybersecurity solutions available to Pax8’s network of more than 40,000 managed service providers (MSPs).
MSPs in the Pax8 network now have a complete one-stop shop of best-in-class cybersecurity solutions available from a single vendor – including Sophos Managed Detection and Response (MDR), Sophos Endpoint powered by Intercept X and Sophos Firewall.
This revolutionizes opportunities for channel partners to streamline operations, simplify billing and significantly reduce the complexity of cybersecurity management across customers.
According to the Sophos MSP Perspectives 2024 report, MSPs that consolidate their security stack with a single vendor can cut daily security management time by nearly 50% – a savings that jumps to 69% for those juggling six or more security vendors.
By partnering with Pax8, Sophos is removing a key operational barrier for MSPs, enabling them to seamlessly manage cybersecurity through a single vendor platform trusted by 600,000 organizations to streamline solution integration and enhance efficiency while strengthening their security posture and simplifying cloud procurement cycles.
“Sophos and Pax8 are strongly aligned in our mission to empower MSPs with best-in-class end-to-end security services and products while simplifying lifecycle management of these solutions and reducing operational overhead.
“MSPs want to align with vendors who are easy to work with and this agreement will make it even easier for MSPs to work with Sophos, something we’ve long been committed to,” said Joe Levy, CEO of Sophos. “With cybersecurity, speed and innovation are essential for defending against attackers.
“This partnership with Pax8 accelerates MSP access to critical cybersecurity tools, enabling them to better protect their customers in an increasingly complex and volatile threat landscape.”
Key advantages of the Sophos and Pax8 partnership for MSPs include:
· Driving new revenue opportunities for partners by providing the most comprehensive portfolio of security offerings by a single vendor on the Pax8 Marketplace.
· Reducing overhead costs and freeing up partners’ billable hours by simplifying procurement and billing via a fully integrated Pax8 Marketplace experience.
· Empowering partners with seamless experiences through coordinated MSP enablement, support and sales training initiatives.
· Compatible and comprehensive 24/7 security for MSPs’ Microsoft Defender customers with Sophos’ MDR service for Microsoft environments.
“MSPs today need solutions that align with the way they operate—cloud-first, flexible and easy to manage at scale. Pax8 is revolutionizing the way MSPs access and deploy cloud-based solutions, and cybersecurity is an important piece of the overall stack,” said Scott Chasin, Chief Executive Officer of Pax8.
“By bringing Sophos’ innovative security offerings to our marketplace, Pax8 is providing our partners with access to enterprise-grade security solutions for their SMB customers in a way that simplifies management, reduces risk and drives profitability.”
Comprehensive Security, Unparalleled Efficiency
“MSPs say they could cut day to day management time almost in half by consolidating on a single cybersecurity platform – and Sophos enables them to achieve that goal.
“By managing all their customers’ cybersecurity in the cloud-based Sophos Central platform, MSPs can reduce workload and free up valuable billing hours,” said Raja Patel, Chief Product Officer, Sophos.
“What’s more, with a complete portfolio of Sophos cybersecurity solutions at their fingertips, Pax8 MSPs enjoy extensive opportunities to sell additional revenue-generating products and services that meet their clients’ evolving cybersecurity needs.”
Last minute change: Backed by real-time threat intelligence from Sophos X-Ops, a global team of elite threat hunters and security analysts, Sophos’ solutions provide proactive, AI-driven protection against cyberattacks.
As the leading pure-play cybersecurity provider of MDR services, Sophos protects over 28,000 organizations globally. Insights from Sophos MDR further strengthens security by providing MSPs and their customers with unparalleled protection. Automated threat detection, managed response, and deep security insights across Sophos’s portfolios equip MSPs to enhance defenses, minimize risk exposure, deliver enterprise-grade protection and cut through the noise to reduce management complexity.
Better security for Microsoft environments
More than 60% of Sophos MDR’s customers are managed via MSPs, giving Sophos unparalleled insights into attacks on MSP-managed environments.
Sophos leverages these learnings to update customers’ defenses in real-time, optimizing their protection from ever-evolving attacks and providing peace of mind to both clients and partners.
Furthermore, with Sophos’s robust MDR service for Microsoft environments, Pax8 MSPs can elevate the security of clients using Microsoft Defender while enabling their customers to see greater return on their Microsoft investments.
The Sophos MDR service through Pax8 supports MSPs in several ways. They can either leverage Sophos’ managed service completely or to augment their customers’ in-house department, including coverage on nights and weekends, which are critical times to defend networks because they are when attackers often strike. For MSPs that provide in-house MDR services, the new AI Assistant in Sophos XDR enables operators of all skill levels to neutralize adversaries faster with existing threat investigation and response intelligence from frontline Sophos MDR analysts.
Availability
The Sophos offering will be available on the Pax8 Marketplace starting February 28, 2025. Pax8 partners interested in learning more about Sophos offerings coming to the Pax8 Marketplace can learn more and sign up at www.sophos.com/msp.
The need for Nigeria to think outside the box in its need to drive towards global relevance with innovations and scientific developments will be on the front burner at the NITRA Innovative & Scientific Conference scheduled to hold on Thursday July 23, 2026 in Ikeja, Lagos.
NITRA
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will lead other delegates to discuss and take far-reaching decisions at the event, which has its theme as “Bridging Nigeria’s Digital Divide With Scientific Innovation”.
Other companies that have indicated interest in partnering with NITRA include mobile communications company, Tecno; Africa’s premier end-to-end AI solutions company, Hyperspace; and telecommunications data infrastructure company, Digital Realty.
Speaking on the proposed event, the Chairman, Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA), Chike Onwuegbuchi noted that the event will seek to create a platform for government and private organisations to deliberate on policies around scientific innovations in Nigeria, challenges, place of indigenous and foreign collaboration, roles of each stakeholder, and grassroots development in that regard, among others.
According to him: “The Federal government, with series of programmes and partnerships, has established the urgent need to create an ecosystem that thrives on scientific innovation, breeding institutions and individuals with a target of placing the country at the fore-front of Next-Gen development.
It is a known fact that digital and scientific innovations are crucial, not only to the survivability of a nation, but also to the sustainability of its growth and development, with significant effect on economic strength, global image, defense and security, government capabilities to function, and public health and safety, communication and digital footprint, among others.
The federal government is actively driving scientific innovation to foster economic diversification and build a $1 trillion economy by 2030. Efforts are heavily focused on commercializing research, establishing massive research funds, and funding strategic infrastructure, particularly in technology, biotechnology, and healthcare. Core government initiatives and policies include the newly instituted National Research and Innovation Development Fund (NRIDF), which aims to mobilize about $500 million annually to support research and the commercialization of scientific outputs; and the Nigeria Genomic City, a multi-ministerial initiative aimed at transforming Nigeria into a leading hub for genomics, precision medicine, and biotechnology. It is designed to protect indigenous data, stimulate artificial intelligence in health, and develop a highly skilled scientific workforce.
According to the General Secretary of NITRA, Mr. Chidiebere Nwankwo, the forum will also be a vehicle to propagating the views of decision makers to the public, thereby furthering the cause of public awareness and information dissemination on the topic.
The focus, he said will be on how Nigeria can sustain digital innovative growth and scientific development in Nigeria
The board of global payments company, PayPal, says a 53 billion dollars takeover offer from financial technology firm, Stripe, and private equity company, Advent International, does not adequately reflect the company’s long-term value.
PayPal
According to reports, the proposed acquisition, valued at 60.50 dollars per share, remains under consideration, with the board yet to formally respond to the offer.
The directors are said to be evaluating not only the financial value of the proposal but also the structure of the financing, the timeline for completing the transaction and the likelihood of obtaining regulatory approvals.
They are also considering the possibility of competing bids emerging.
Although the offer represents a premium of about 28 per cent above PayPal’s recent share price, the board believes the company could deliver greater value to shareholders if its ongoing turnaround strategy succeeds.
Following reports of the bid, PayPal shares gained about two per cent to close at 56.73 dollars.
Sources familiar with the discussions said Stripe and Advent have secured approximately 50 billion dollars in debt financing from JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley, while both firms would jointly contribute 17 billion dollars in equity.
Under the proposal, the two companies would jointly own PayPal instead of dividing its operations.
PayPal, Stripe, Advent International, JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley have all declined to comment on the proposed transaction.
The discussions come as PayPal seeks to strengthen its business after years of increasing competition from rivals including Apple Pay, Google Pay and emerging financial technology firms.
The company, which was valued at about 360 billion dollars in 2021, now has a market capitalisation of approximately 36 billion dollars.
Since assuming office as Chief Executive Officer in March 2026, Enrique Lores has embarked on a restructuring programme aimed at improving operational efficiency and restoring growth.
The restructuring includes the creation of three business divisions comprising Checkout, Venmo and Consumer Financial Services, and Payments and Crypto.
The company is also targeting 1.5 billion dollars in cost savings through the deployment of artificial intelligence technologies.
PayPal’s latest financial results indicated signs of recovery, with first-quarter revenue rising seven per cent year-on-year to 8.35 billion dollars, while total payment volume increased by eight per cent to 464 billion dollars.
If approved, the transaction would combine two of the world’s largest digital payments companies.
The combined business would process an estimated 3.7 trillion dollars in annual payment volume, significantly strengthening its position in the global online payments market.
However, analysts expect the proposed acquisition to face intense regulatory scrutiny because of the companies’ combined market share in merchant payment services.
To address possible antitrust concerns, the bidders have reportedly considered options, including separating PayPal’s Braintree business or other assets if required by regulators.
Sources said Stripe and Advent remain interested in pursuing the acquisition despite the board’s reservations, although negotiations are expected to continue.
Market observers are also awaiting PayPal’s earnings report scheduled for July 28 for further indications of the company’s financial recovery and future growth prospects.
Concerns over network reliability and its impact on Nigeria’s growing creator economy took centre stage at MTN Nigeria’s Data on Trial event, where content creator and streamer, Jarvis, challenged telecommunications operators to improve connectivity for digital creators.
Speaking during the event, Jarvis asked whether there were locations in Nigeria where uninterrupted internet connectivity could support real-life (IRL) streaming without network disruptions.
“Are there places where there is no breakage when streaming IRL?” she asked.
Her question highlighted the challenges faced by content creators who depend on stable internet services for live streaming, content uploads and real-time engagement with audiences.
Responding, MTN Nigeria’s Chief Technical Officer, Mr Yahaya Ibrahim, said network performance depends on several factors, including location, network coverage, device capability and the number of users connected to a particular base station.
He noted that operators continue to invest in expanding network capacity to meet the growing demand for data services.
Earlier, MTN’s General Manager, Network Performance and Quality Assurance, Mr Michael Ndukwe, explained the evolution of mobile network technology in Nigeria, from first-generation (1G) services to the current fifth-generation (5G) technology.
According to him, each phase of technological advancement has significantly increased network capacity and enabled new digital services.
Ndukwe cited Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) data showing that Nigerians consumed about 13.2 million terabytes of data in 2025.
He added that data usage reached approximately 4.06 million terabytes in the first quarter of 2026, reflecting the country’s increasing reliance on digital platforms and online services.
According to him, the growth is being driven by wider adoption of 4G and 5G networks, increased smartphone penetration, the proliferation of smart devices and expanding use of social media platforms.
Participants at the event noted that as more Nigerians build businesses and careers around digital content, access to reliable and high-speed internet has become critical to sustaining the country’s digital economy and creator ecosystem.
Dangote Refinery’s Private Placement Reportedly Hits $2.5Bn
FG, UNODC Plan National Strategy against Organized Crime
EFCC Busts NIS Visa Overstay Racket, Uncovers N700m in an Account
CBN to Monitor Every Dollar with FXBT, Forex Tracker
NCC, NDLEA Partner to Fight Piracy and Drug Trafficking
NRC, Ponzi Scheme Collapses Resulting Loss of Billions of Naira
NASENI Moves to Digitize CCB’s 5m Assets Declaration and Operations
Lebara Nigeria Launches Lebara Play, Africa’s First Telecom-Owned Micro-Drama Platform
CANAL+ Partners Samsung to Pre-Load DStv Stream on New Samsung TVs In Nigeria, Other African Countries
Tokenization, Blockchain Technology will Transform Financial Institutions – IMF
News3 days agoValueJet Expands Fleet with Boeing Aircraft, Targets Wider African Network
Telecom3 days agoHelios Towers Secures $29m Facility to Expand Across Africa
News3 days agoCourt Orders Final Forfeiture of 48 Properties Linked to Former AGF Abubakar Malami
News3 days agoCourt Grants Former CCT Chairman Danladi Umar N100m Bail Over EFCC Charges
E-Financial3 days agoFirst Securities Brokers Empowers Nigerians to Trade in the Stock Market with the Launch of FirstInvest App
Telecom3 days agoNCC Begins Stakeholder Consultation on MVNO Business Rules
Broadcasting3 days agoNBC Scraps Annual Digital Access Fee on DSO
Telecom3 days agoSurge in Fibre Cuts Hobbles Service Provisioning