Highlights:

  • Armorblox employs a combination of advanced machine learning models and innovative technologies to analyze a wide range of signals, such as user behavior, identity, and the content and context of communications.
  • The company has secured a total funding of USD 46.5 million, including a recent funding round led by SentinelOne Ventures in September 2022.

Recently, Cisco Systems Inc. announced its acquisition of Armorblox Inc., a cybersecurity startup. The acquisition aims to enhance the security of email, cloud, office applications, and enterprise communication systems.

The networking giant, Cisco, plans to utilize Armorblox’s advanced capabilities in natural language processing, predictive analytics, and generative AI. This strategic move aims to empower Cisco’s customers with enhanced insights into their security risks. In a recent blog post, Raj Chopra, Cisco’s Chief Product Officer of Security, highlighted Armorblox’s innovative approach to leveraging large language models and natural language understanding to manage cyber risks effectively. The acquisition signifies Cisco’s commitment to providing comprehensive security solutions powered by cutting-edge technologies.

Armorblox employs a combination of advanced machine learning models and innovative technologies to analyze a wide range of signals, such as user behavior, identity, and the content and context of communications. This comprehensive approach enables Armorblox to safeguard against threats to human workers effectively. With a primary focus on mitigating business email compromise, targeted phishing attacks, and protecting sensitive data, Armorblox utilizes its robust capabilities to provide powerful protection and enhance cybersecurity.

Raj Chopra wrote, “The first application of Armorblox’s advanced techniques was securing the most significant way enterprise users get routinely attacked — yes, I’m talking about email. Through this acquisition, though, we see many exciting broad security use cases and possibilities to unlock.”

While the specific financial details of the acquisition were not revealed, Cisco has stated its anticipation of finalizing the deal by the end of its fiscal fourth quarter in July.

Established in 2017, Armorblox boasts a team of over 100 employees. The company has secured a total funding of USD 46.5 million, including a recent funding round led by SentinelOne Ventures in September 2022. In September last year, Ido Kotler, SentinelOne Innovation Lead, said, “We dove deep with the Armorblox team into their technology and were impressed. Armorblox has strong capabilities in machine learning and natural language understanding which, when applied to email security, result in high detection rates and low false positives.”

With Chief Executive DJ Sampath having previously overseen engineering at StackRox Inc. and Chief Product Officer Anand Raghavan holding a top position in product management at ThoughtSpot Inc., Armorblox’s executive team has an impressive background.

According to Holger Mueller from Constellation Research Inc., generative AI has significant potential to enhance security. Mueller stated, “Generative AI and machine learning can make enterprises safer. There’s a lot of merit in using this technology to look more closely at messages and communications that may harbor malicious threats.”

Upon completing the acquisition, Cisco announced that Armorblox would become part of its security business group to integrate generative AI capabilities across its entire security portfolio. Raj Chopra stated that Armorblox’s technology would contribute to various aspects, including improved attack prediction, swift threat detection, and effective policy enforcement.