Revolutionizing Cyber Resilience: Rubrik and Sophos Boost Microsoft 365 Security & Recovery

A new era of cyber resilience for Microsoft 365 users is unfolding as Rubrik and Sophos join forces to deliver an integrated backup, recovery, and threat response solution within the Sophos Central platform. Their collaboration arms organizations with the offensive and defensive tools needed to confront modern cyber risks, ranging from ransomware and account takeovers to complex insider threats.

Background: Responding to Escalating Microsoft 365 Risks​

The transition to cloud-native productivity suites like Microsoft 365 has unlocked powerful collaboration tools for organizations worldwide. Yet this digital transformation has left many IT environments vulnerable. Microsoft 365 stores not only day-to-day business communications but also critical intellectual property, confidential emails, and regulated financial or health data.
Despite the native security features in Microsoft 365, numerous studies reveal that businesses continue to face relentless assaults. Sophos’ State of Ransomware report highlighted that nearly half of organizations impacted by ransomware attacks ultimately paid ransoms to recover their data. Alarmingly, just 54% restored data from their own backups—evidence of a worrying gap in effective recovery strategies.
Meanwhile, Microsoft 365 account compromises remain rampant. Recent data illustrates that 60% of tenants have experienced account takeovers, while a staggering 81% have encountered some form of email compromise. Attackers, when successful in hijacking privileged accounts or global administrator roles, can tamper with data retention policies or permanently delete business-critical data, placing organizational continuity at grave risk.

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Strategic Partnership: Rubrik Meets Sophos Central​

The Alliance Explained​

By fusing Rubrik’s battle-tested data protection and recovery technology with the vast security telemetry of Sophos Central, businesses gain a single-pane-of-glass solution to reinforce their Microsoft 365 security posture. Sophos Central is trusted globally, managing more than 75,000 MDR (Managed Detection and Response) and XDR (Extended Detection and Response) customers. Its security ecosystem already integrates insights from over 350 sources, using deep learning and sophisticated language models to monitor endpoints, networks, identities, email, cloud, and critical business applications.
The newly launched “Sophos M365 Backup and Recovery Powered by Rubrik” will be available as an add-on for Sophos MDR and XDR customers, further deepening the resilience toolkit offered to customers already invested in Sophos’ security architecture.

Integrated Resilience: Unified Prevention and Recovery​

Historically, organizations have treated prevention and recovery as two sides of the security coin, but rarely as integrated disciplines. This partnership represents a philosophical and technological shift, making recovery inseparable from advanced threat detection and response.
Joe Levy, CEO of Sophos, positions this collaboration as a blueprint for the future of cyber resilience—marrying a “prevention-first approach with Rubrik’s unwavering recovery capabilities.” This strategic alignment, he claims, is the answer to staying “secure, responsive, and uninterrupted in a world shaped by constant digital disruption.”

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Key Features: Protection, Detection, and Rapid Recovery​

Sophos MDR and XDR customers will soon access a variety of advanced data protection and restoration capabilities, designed around the unique requirements of cloud platforms like Microsoft 365.

Secure, Immutable Backup Architecture​

At the core of Rubrik’s contribution is a secure, immutable backup system that leverages:

• Air-gapped storage to isolate critical backups from production environments
• Write Once, Read Many (WORM) locks to prevent accidental or malicious alteration of backup data
• Customer-held encryption keys, ensuring organizations retain control over access

With these safeguards, even if Microsoft 365 credentials are compromised, attackers will be unable to tamper with or delete the backup data. This design is particularly vital in defending against ransomware campaigns that specifically target backup repositories in addition to production data.

Advanced Threat Protection and Recovery Capabilities​

The solution’s integration with Sophos Central brings powerful detection and response features. Among them:

• Multifactor authentication and data lock measures to stop unauthorized restoration or deletion
• Automated asset detection: Rubrik’s software automatically discovers users, sites, and mailboxes, applying the appropriate protection policies without manual intervention
• Delegated administration to facilitate secure, role-based access by IT teams
• Full content restoration for emails, OneDrive files, SharePoint sites, Teams channels, and more—either to original or alternative users, including those whose accounts are now inactive

Administrators can minimize downtime by rapidly restoring business-critical data following a cyber incident, accidental deletions, or malicious insider actions.

Deep Integration with Sophos Central​

By delivering these capabilities directly through Sophos Central, the solution simplifies administrative overhead. Organizations benefit from streamlined management, unified visibility, and a consistent security workflow—critical for responders who need to act swiftly and decisively during a cyber crisis.

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A Holistic Approach to Cyber Resilience​

Beyond Prevention: The Need for Reliable Recovery​

Rubrik’s CEO Bipul Sinha underscores the reality of today’s threat landscape: “The reality of today’s threat landscape demands a holistic approach to cyber resilience. With AI-enabled attacks and sophisticated breaches on the rise, organizations need more than just prevention; they need the ability to recover rapidly and reliably.”
This sentiment echoes across the cybersecurity industry. As ransomware actors automate attacks, and as the tactics used to bypass endpoint defences evolve, the old adage “it’s not if, but when” becomes more prescient. Organizations that lack a tested and integrated recovery strategy face much higher risk of extortion, service interruption, or irreversible data loss.

Plugging the Microsoft 365 Data Protection Gap​

Native tooling in Microsoft 365, while helpful for compliance and accident prevention, is often insufficient for handling sophisticated data destruction efforts. Attackers able to manipulate SharePoint retention policies or exploit privileged access can nullify recovery points before teams are even aware of a breach. As highlighted by current industry statistics, organizations who rely solely on Microsoft’s built-in backups too often find themselves forced to pay ransoms or endure lengthy outages.
By offering air-gapped, immutable, and externally managed backups within an active threat response framework, Rubrik and Sophos present a credible path toward truly resilient operations in hybrid and cloud-first environments.

Streamlining Administration Without Sacrificing Security​

Security teams are often overloaded with siloed systems, alert fatigue, and disjointed management portals. One compelling aspect of this joint offering is the commitment to unified oversight. Through Sophos Central’s familiar interface, IT and security personnel can orchestrate backup, detection, and restoration tasks in one location—drastically reducing complexity and time to response.

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Industry Implications: Raising the Bar for Channel Partners​

The Rubrik-Sophos solution is scheduled to launch via Sophos’ global channel partner network in the coming months. For resellers, MSPs, and systems integrators, this partnership signals a shift toward more comprehensive managed security offerings, one that extends far beyond just defending endpoints and networks.

Catalyzing New Managed Security Services​

Channel partners stand to benefit from:

• The ability to deliver managed backup and rapid recovery as an integrated service
• Differentiation in a highly competitive MDR and XDR market through true Microsoft 365 resilience
• Expanded opportunities to provide consultation, compliance support, and incident response

Empowering Customers in Regulated Sectors​

For industries with elevated regulatory burdens—such as finance, government, and healthcare—air-gapped backup with centralized threat response is emerging as a new gold standard. The integrated approach can strengthen compliance reporting, facilitate faster breach response, and reduce the risk of fines from lost or compromised sensitive data.

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Critical Analysis: Strengths, Risks, and Considerations​

Notable Strengths​

• Defense-in-Depth for Microsoft 365: Customers gain prevention, detection, and recovery in a single, vendor-validated workflow
• Reduced Administrative Overhead: Centralized management slashes complexity and speeds response
• Resilience Against Advanced and Insider Threats: Immutable storage, multifactor authentication, and delegated access thwart a wide variety of attack vectors
• Future-Proofing: Deep learning models and the agility of both partners enable adaptation to evolving threats

Potential Risks and Limitations​

• Cost and Complexity for SMEs: As an add-on, pricing may only be competitive for organizations already on the Sophos Central MDR/XDR platform; smaller firms may struggle with licensing or integration costs
• Reliance on Vendor Integration: Organizations must trust both the continued interoperability and security of two distinct platforms—in rare cases where integration falters, restoration windows could be delayed
• No Absolute Guarantee: As with all backup solutions, the promise of recovery depends on correct deployment, routine testing, and ongoing operational vigilance. Human error or misconfiguration still present meaningful risk
• Data Residency and Sovereignty Questions: Some organizations may need further transparency on where backup data is stored to meet compliance obligations

Fitting Into a Broader Security Landscape​

Ransomware and account-takeover attacks are evolving at a pace rarely seen before. Attackers regularly discover new tactics to evade endpoint controls, move laterally across hybrid networks, and exploit gaps in cloud security posture.
Rubrik and Sophos’ partnership stands out for its focus on end-to-end operational resilience—that is, the ability to return to "business as usual" in hours rather than days or weeks, even in the face of highly disruptive incidents. For organizations with strong disaster recovery plans, this solution presents a credible pathway to reduce the risk of catastrophic business loss while preserving the agility of SaaS cloud investments.

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Conclusion: Toward Resilient, Uninterrupted Operations​

Enterprises are under siege and the stakes have never been higher. The ability to defend Microsoft 365 environments against both external threat actors and insider risks now requires sophisticated, integrated solutions that transcend traditional boundaries.
The joint Rubrik and Sophos offering is emblematic of a new, holistic approach to cyber resilience—one where prevention, detection, and restoration operate in concert. For organizations already invested in Sophos security technology, the addition of Rubrik’s immutable, air-gapped backup and instant restore capabilities via Sophos Central may mark a transformative leap forward.
As this solution becomes available through Sophos’ channel network, customers and partners alike gain renewed confidence in their ability to weather cyber adversity. The message is clear: in the face of operational threats, it’s no longer enough to simply defend. True resilience means being able to recover—rapidly, reliably, and with minimal disruption—no matter what unfolds in the digital landscape.

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Source: ChannelLife New Zealand Rubrik & Sophos launch advanced Microsoft 365 resilience tool