Internet and communications company Vox has launched its new cybersecurity division in partnership with cybersecurity company Sophos as a locally-managed service model, which makes Sophos' advanced cyberdefence accessible to businesses of all sizes.

Through this new division, Vox is growing from a trusted Internet services provider into a full-service digital guardian that offers South African companies an integrated portfolio of connectivity, communication and protection solutions, says Vox security and value-added services division head Audrey Vadival.

Vox’s partnership with Sophos brings enterprise-grade cybersecurity within reach of local companies of all sizes, she says.

Small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as large corporate companies, can benefit from a portfolio of solutions designed to combine proactive threat-hunting with round-the-clock monitoring and simplified management.

Vox’s new cybersecurity arm forms part of the company’s broader strategy to evolve from a pure connectivity and communications provider into a holistic managed service and security partner, Vadival says.

It builds on the foundation of trust Vox has already built with its growing customer base, and the focus is to secure the connection and the data, as well as protect customers.

“Our customers trust us with their communications and connectivity, and it makes sense to extend that trust into cybersecurity,” she says.

“Our partnership with Sophos gives us the ability to create advanced security solutions that leverage new protection capabilities, such as AI, within a locally-managed services model that makes high-end protection accessible and affordable.

“Sophos has a robust and relevant solution portfolio that ensures we can deliver a synchronised security stack that protects every part of the digital journey from the connection to the user,” she explains.

The value proposition within the partnership rests in Vox’s ability to combine advanced technology with real-world simplicity, namely one dashboard, one licence and one provider with multiple solutions integrated through Sophos Central.

Companies can monitor and respond to threats rapidly with a single, unified view, she says.

CYBERSECURITY SUITE
Vox will be offering a suite of five Sophos products that are designed to work together to prevent, detect and respond to modern threats.

Specifically, the Sophos XGS Series AI-powered threat prevention and zero-day defence firewall, the deep-learning rapid threat detection and defence Sophos Intercept X, the cybersecurity-as-a-service Sophos Managed Detection and Response (MDR), that also undertakes proactive threat hunting and rapid incident-response.

Additionally, the Sophos Extended Detection and Response (XDR) provides visibility across all critical attack surfaces, including third-party tools, and the anti-fraud Sophos Phish Threat proactively educates a workforce.

“The threat landscape in South Africa continues to intensify and organisations are looking for a partner that can simplify cybersecurity while providing enterprise-grade protection,” says Sophos Southern Africa sales director Pieter Nel.

“Our partnership with Vox brings the full strength of Sophos’ MDR, XDR and AI-driven technologies directly into a locally managed service model, making advanced cyberdefence accessible to businesses of all sizes.

“Together, we are ensuring South African organisations can detect and stop ransomware and other cyberattacks before they cause disruption or financial damage,” he says.