Nozomi Networks, Sophos Link IT and OT Security Through Fusion Integration

Nozomi Networks and Sophos have announced an integration designed to help organizations detect and investigate cyber threats spanning information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) systems.

The partnership connects Nozomi Networks Vantage, a cloud-based security platform for OT, Internet of Things and cyber-physical systems, with Sophos Fusion, Sophos’ AI-powered cybersecurity defense platform.

Through the integration, telemetry, asset intelligence and threat data collected by Nozomi Vantage will be available within Sophos Fusion. Security teams will be able to correlate this information with data from endpoints, networks, cloud services and identity systems without moving between separate management consoles.

The companies said this consolidated view could help analysts investigate incidents faster, improve threat context and reduce manual work. The integration will also support automated enrichment and response through security orchestration, automation and response workflows.

The deal is among the first major third-party technology integrations announced for Sophos Fusion. It reflects Sophos’ effort to establish the platform as an open security ecosystem incorporating technologies from multiple vendors.

Bridging a persistent security gap

The boundary between corporate IT networks and industrial systems has become an increasingly important security concern. Manufacturing plants, utilities and other critical-infrastructure operators are connecting more industrial assets to enterprise networks while expanding their use of remote monitoring and management.

This convergence can increase operational efficiency, but it also creates paths through which an intrusion that begins in an IT environment may reach critical OT systems.

“The intersection of IT and OT environments has long been misunderstood by the cybersecurity industry, leading to inefficiencies and potential danger for critical infrastructure,” said Matt Cowell, vice president of strategic alliances at Nozomi Networks.

Cowell said the integration would place OT intelligence directly within IT security investigations, giving teams a more complete picture of their expanding attack surface.

Chris Bell, senior vice president of global channel and alliances at Sophos, said the partnership would allow defenders to assess IT and OT vulnerabilities in one place and respond more quickly.

Channel opportunity

Nozomi Networks and Sophos are also positioning the integration as a foundation for new cybersecurity services delivered through channel partners and managed service providers.

By combining IT and industrial-security information, partners could develop monitoring, investigation and incident-response offerings for customers operating connected production systems or critical infrastructure.

The companies expect the integration to deliver four principal benefits:

• Correlation of security data across OT, endpoint, network, cloud and identity sources
• Better investigations through richer asset and threat context
• More efficient security operations through fewer manual processes and less console switching
• Automated enrichment and response using orchestration workflows

Nozomi Networks specializes in protecting critical infrastructure and industrial environments through network and endpoint visibility, threat detection and AI-assisted analysis. Sophos provides cybersecurity products and managed security services for organizations and channel partners worldwide.