Cyber threats are evolving fast, demanding not just prevention but rapid recovery. Recognizing this, Rubrik and Sophos today announced a strategic partnership—“Sophos M365 Backup and Recovery, Powered by Rubrik”—bringing an MDR‑optimized Microsoft 365 backup and recovery solution fully integrated into Sophos Central.
Unified Cyber Resilience within Sophos Central
This new offering simplifies data protection for more than 75,000 Sophos MDR and XDR customers. Built directly into Sophos Central, it delivers streamlined recovery capabilities for SharePoint, Exchange, OneDrive, and Teams data—combining prevention and recovery on a single platform.
How It Works
- Immutable, secure backups: Rubrik stores Microsoft 365 data using air‑gapped storage, WORM locks, and customer‑held encryption keys. Multifactor authentication and data lock defenses ensure protection—even if credentials are compromised.
- Rapid, flexible recovery: Users can restore emails, OneDrive files, SharePoint sites, and Teams channels to original or alternate users, including inactive accounts—perfect for both accidental deletion and malicious compromise.
- Automated safeguards: Rubrik auto-discovers Microsoft 365 users, sites, and mailboxes, applies Entra ID‑based policies, and supports delegated admin—all managed in Sophos Central.
- Unified experience: No need for extra tools—Microsoft 365 protection and security operations now live under Sophos Central’s umbrella.
Leadership Commentary
Joe Levy, CEO of Sophos, frames the collaboration as “reshaping what it means to stay operational in a world shaped by constant digital disruption.” This new solution, he says, blends Sophos’s “prevention‑first approach” with Rubrik’s “recovery capabilities,” helping organizations endure even under pressure.
Bipul Sinha, CEO and Co‑founder of Rubrik, emphasizes today’s need for rapid, reliable recovery amid rising AI‑enabled attacks. This integration embeds recovery into a trusted platform—boosting Microsoft 365 cyber resilience.
Threat Landscape: Why This Matters
According to Sophos’s own State of Ransomware report, nearly half of ransomware‑impacted organizations paid to recover data—yet only 54% relied on backups, highlighting vulnerabilities in resilience strategies.
Further, research reveals urgent gaps: around 60% of Microsoft 365 tenants have experienced account takeovers, and 81% have seen email compromise. With admin credentials under threat, attackers could tamper with retention settings and permanently delete business‑critical data.
This partnership directly addresses these vulnerabilities, offering layered protection and rapid access to trusted backups when needed.
Strategic Advantages for Sophos Customers
Sophos MDR and XDR users gain:
- Air‑gapped, immutable backups, hard to tamper with even under credential compromise.
- Fast, granular recovery across core Microsoft 365 workloads.
- Automated deployment, reducing admin burden via Sophos Central.
- One‑stop management, consolidating backup and security operations in a familiar interface.
Looking Ahead
The offering will roll out through Sophos’s channel partner network in the coming months. Organizations attending Black Hat USA can visit booths #1357 (Rubrik) and #2740 (Sophos) to explore the solution. While timelines remain subject to each company’s final determination, the roadmap signals a significant step forward for cyber resilience.
