Boulder-based Automox announced today the close of a $2 million dollar funding round to help bring endpoint protection to the forefront of the cybersecurity conversation.
Cybersecurity is, of course, a pervasive issue in the technology world today — particularly for businesses. Yet most of the cybersecurity solutions we see focus on threat detection, identifying threats when they arise and helping businesses respond to and contain those threats.
Threat protection instead focuses on eliminating vulnerabilities before cyberattackers have a chance to exploit them. Given the growing complexity of systems and endpoints in the modern technology business, maintaining configurations and staying up to date with the latest security patches have become incredibly cumbersome tasks. Most IT managers simply lack the time and resources to keep up.
“What I think is critical here is the attention to the detail of protection,” said CEO Jay Prassl. “This is a proactive exercise. We can stop something like WannaCry ransomware — not by detecting it with something fancy and new out there, but by simply having the system patched.”
According to Prassl, about 80 percent of a company’s attack surface can be reduced by proper patch management and endpoint configuration. So when a business only focuses on reactive solutions, they actually leave themselves vulnerable to an increasing number of attacks.
What we’re missing is the opportunity to help our IT managers solve the protection problem and automate the outcome.”
“What we’re missing is the opportunity to help our IT managers solve the protection problem and automate the outcome,” said Automox CEO Jay Prassl. “That’s why Automox exists — to complete that circle.”
Automox brings patching and configuration processes into the cloud and automates them, making it easier for IT managers to keep their companies’ systems up to date. Since its founding in 2015, Automox has landed major clients like Quicken, Dollar Shave Club, HootSuite and Gaia, as well Denver-based Dizzion.
The company plans to use the investment to add roughly 15 new members to its team, with a focus on engineering, sales and marketing hires. The new additions will help fuel the growth of Automox's platform, as well as deepen partnerships with OEMs and other cybersecurity businesses.
The round was led by Boulder-based Blue Note Ventures with participation from key leaders in the cybersecurity industry: Ron Gula, founder and former CEO of Tenable; Art Coviello, former executive chairman of RSA; Tim Belcher, former CTO of RSA; Mike Viscuso, co-founder of Carbon Black; Roger Thornton, CTO of AlienVault; and Tom Noonan, founder and former CEO of Internet Security Systems and JouleX security. The investors will not only serve as advocates for the Automox brand but also as advisors and partners as the startup continues to grow.
“There isn’t an airline, university, hospital, bank or government that isn’t laser-focused on cybersecurity right now,” said Chris Marks, founder and managing partner of Blue Note Ventures, in a statement. “As corporate and consumer demand for information security continues to escalate, those accountable for that security will need tools and technology that help them respond faster and scale protection. Automox is poised to become the endpoint protection platform of record behind the most secure companies in the world, and we’re excited to invest in their future.”
