E-Business
Sophos Acquires Secureworks in $859m Deal, Strengthens Cybersecurity Leadership

Sophos and Secureworks (NASDAQ: SCWX), two global cybersecurity pioneers, announced the completion of Sophos’ acquisition of Secureworks on Monday.
The all-cash transaction values Secureworks at approximately $859 million, and with the acquisition’s completion, Secureworks’ common stock has ceased trading on Nasdaq. Sophos is backed by Thoma Bravo, a leading software investment firm.
With this acquisition, Sophos becomes the leading pure-play cybersecurity provider of Managed Detection and Response (MDR) services, supporting more than 28,000 organizations of all sizes worldwide. The combination will enable Sophos to deliver an unparalleled security operations platform, featuring hundreds of built-in integrations for adaptive protection, detection, and response to mitigate cyberattacks.
The open and scalable platform helps organizations, especially those with diverse IT estates, safeguard current and future technology investments, providing greater operational efficiencies and return on cybersecurity spend. Sophos X-Ops is also expanding its threat intelligence and security services capabilities with the addition of the Secureworks Counter Threat Unit and security operations and advisory teams.
As a channel-first cybersecurity provider, Sophos remains unwavering in its commitment to deliver cutting-edge security services and technologies that empower its global community of resellers, Managed Service Providers (MSPs), and Managed Security Services Providers (MSSPs).
This includes expanding their reach, enhancing operational scalability, and providing stronger defenses to countless organizations that need the ability to effectively defend against today’s constant and complex cyberattacks.
“The market is embracing MDR as a clear means to deliver positive cybersecurity outcomes, and this has meant rapid growth in the category,” said Joe Levy, CEO of Sophos. “Sophos is differentiated by our very mature competencies in ransomware detection, malware analysis, and threat actor tradecraft.
“These defenses are further augmented by Sophos’ native artificial intelligence (AI), first innovated by our globally peer-recognized AI team nearly a decade ago, and embedded in our MDR, endpoint, network, email, and cloud security to more effectively neutralize and stop threats. With the integration of Secureworks, our expanded services and product portfolio will provide even stronger end-to-end security solutions that will include identity threat detection and response (ITDR), next-gen SIEM, and managed risk, all in a single open platform.”
“We will also be able to further advance our AI, threat intelligence, and attack research through more diverse and deeper global telemetry that is analyst-tuned for the real world. At every level, we are very excited about this next accelerated chapter for Sophos.”
In the near term, Sophos and Secureworks are operating business as usual, working with their respective channel partners, MSPs, and MSSPs worldwide to distribute their existing security services and technology. Both companies’ sales and customer experience groups will operate to support existing customers, assist with renewals, and develop current and new business opportunities.
Sophos protects more than 600,000 customers worldwide with its portfolio of MDR, endpoint, network, email, and cloud security solutions that integrate and adapt to provide real-time defense through the Sophos Central platform.
Under the terms of the agreement, Sophos acquired Secureworks in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $859 million. Secureworks shareholders, including Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL), will receive $8.50 per share in cash, representing a 28% premium to the unaffected 90-day volume-weighted average price (VWAP).
Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal counsel to Sophos, while Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Barclays, BofA Securities, HSBC Securities (USA) Inc., and UBS Investment Bank acted as financial advisors and provided debt financing for the transaction. Piper Sandler & Company and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC acted as financial advisors to Secureworks, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP acted as legal counsel.
E-Business
Adobe Launches AI Video Tool to Compete with OpenAI

Adobe yesterday released the first public version of an artificial intelligence tool that can generate video clips and revealed how much it will charge, but said it will not set pricing for major users such as studios until later this year.
The Firefly Video Model, as Adobe is calling the service, will compete against Sora, a model developed by ChatGPT creator OpenAI, and startup Runway, both of which currently offer video-generation services. Facebook owner Meta Platforms has also developed a video-generation AI model but has not given a timeline for when it will be released.
Adobe’s model differs from its rivals because it is geared toward generating clips that will fit into how film and television studios use Premiere Pro, its flagship video editing software.
To that end, many of the features that Adobe is emphasizing revolve around feeding existing shots into the video model and asking it to generate clips that fix or expand on shots that were taken on a real production set but that did not come out quite right.
Adobe said the service will generate five-second clips at 1080p resolution. While that is shorter than the clips of up to 20 seconds generated by OpenAI’s service, Adobe executives said the majority of individual clips in most productions are only three seconds.
Adobe said a user can generate 20 clips per month for $9.99 and 70 clips for $29.99. That compares with 50 videos for $20 per month with OpenAI’s plan at lower resolution and a $200 OpenAI plan that can handle longer, higher resolution videos.
Adobe is also working on a “Premium” pricing plan for studios and other high-volume video users and will release those pricing details later this year. Alexandru Costin, Adobe’s vice president of generative AI, said the company is working to generate 4K video and will remain focused on quality rather than longer clips.
“We actually think that great motion, great structure, great definition scheme, making the actual clip look like it was film, is more important than making a longer clip that’s unusable,” Costin told Reuters.
E-Business
GSMA Launches Innovation Fund to Boost AI Solutions in Emerging Markets

GSMA Innovation Fund for Impactful AI has been unveiled, marking a significant initiative aimed at empowering small and growing enterprises in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) across Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific.
This fund is designed to foster AI-driven innovations that tackle critical socio-economic and climate challenges, helping underserved regions unlock the transformative potential of artificial intelligence.
Artificial intelligence has proven its ability to address pressing global issues, from precision agriculture and renewable energy to remote healthcare and financial inclusion.
Yet, LMICs remain underserved in funding and resources, with only a small percentage of global grants directed toward locally-developed AI solutions.
Despite the growth of AI-driven technologies, these advancements are often not tailored to the unique needs of local populations in LMICs.
The GSMA Innovation Fund seeks to close this gap by identifying, testing, and scaling impactful AI solutions that are contextually relevant and capable of delivering measurable socio-economic and climate benefits.
In partnership with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), the GSMA Innovation Fund provides a comprehensive support package to selected enterprises. Key benefits include:
Grant Funding: Ranging from £100,000 to £250,000 for projects lasting 15–18 months.
Tailored Venture Support: Guidance to strengthen business models and improve scalability.
Partnership Opportunities: Facilitation of collaborations with mobile operators, public sector organizations, and other stakeholders.
Peer Learning: Platforms for exchanging knowledge and best practices with other innovators.
Visibility and Exposure: Access to GSMA’s global events, publications, and online platforms to connect with potential investors and partners.
E-Business
MRA Calls for Safer Internet User Rights in Nigeria

Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has called on the Nigerian government to take legitimate measures to safeguard the rights and safety of internet users in the country.
In a statement released ahead of Safer Internet Day (SID), the Media Rights Agenda (MRA) called on the Nigerian Federal and State governments to take measures to protect internet users’ rights.
MRA highlighted the misuse of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, initially designed to address cybercrime threats.
According to MRA, the Act has been exploited by powerful individuals to intimidate journalists, activists, and citizens, undermining freedom of expression and cybersecurity.
Mr. Ayode Longe, deputy executive director, MRA, emphasised that these actions violate democratic principles and Nigeria’s international human rights obligations. He highlighted the SID theme “Together for a Better Internet” as a call for multi-stakeholder cooperation to create a safe and accessible online environment.
Longe noted Nigeria’s progress in digital technology adoption but pointed out persistent online threats, including scams, data breaches, and misinformation.
He stressed the need for legal frameworks that protect users’ rights without compromising their privacy or freedom of expression.
MRA urged the government to review the Cybercrimes Act to ensure it aligns with international human rights standards and to establish guidelines to prevent arbitrary prosecutions.
MRA also called for digital literacy initiatives and collaboration with tech companies to promote online safety.
Additionally, they urged the courts to protect Nigerians’ rights by rejecting unfounded cybercrime cases and ensuring fair application of the law.
Longe reiterated MRA’s commitment to defending digital rights and advocating for a free and open digital environment where everyone can access information and express themselves responsibly.
Together, stakeholders can create an internet where all users, regardless of age or background, can engage safely and freely.
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