UK-based cybersecurity firm Egress to be acquired by US giant KnowBe4

24 April 2024, 12:04

A woman's hands on a laptop keyboard
Cyber attacks. Picture: PA

US-based security awareness training firm KnowBe4 has agreed a deal to buy the London-based organisation.

UK-based email security firm Egress has been acquired by US cybersecurity giant KnowBe4, it has been announced.

The terms of the transaction have not been disclosed, but KnowBe4 said the addition of Egress’s email security tools to its own suite of products will create an advanced artificial intelligence-powered cybersecurity platform.

London-based Egress is known for its AI-powered email security tools, which are able to learn and monitor sophisticated email cybersecurity threats, and protect organisations and their staff from email-based attempts to breach their systems.

KnowBe4 is best known for its security awareness training, which includes its AI-powered platform to simulate phishing attempts and test staff members’ ability to spot suspicious emails, with the aim of improving education and changing user behaviour.

KnowBe4 chief executive Stu Sjouwerman said combining these programmes into one platform will help businesses better prepare themselves and their employees to face ever-changing cybersecurity threats.

“The future of security is personalised AI-driven controls and real-time coaching. By providing a single platform from KnowBe4 and Egress, our customers will benefit from differentiated aggregate threat detection to stay ahead of evolving cyber threats and foster a strong security culture,” he said.

“As integration partners for over a year, with strong philosophical and cultural alignment, this acquisition is a natural progression for both companies to take human risk management and cloud email security to the next level.”

Egress chief executive Tony Pepper said: “KnowBe4 and Egress have a shared vision of delivering tailored and relevant security to each employee.

“One of the biggest challenges organisations face is accurately identifying who the next source of compromise is – and why.

“By combining intelligence and analytics from integrated applications, companies can gain valuable insights across their entire cyber ecosystem, allowing them to focus on the risks that matter most.”

The two companies said the deal is expected to close in the coming months, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

By Press Association

More Technology News

See more More Technology News

A person holds an iphone showing the app for Google chrome search engine

Apple and Google ‘should face investigation over mobile browser duopoly’

A Google icon on a smartphone

Firms can use AI to help offset Budget tax hikes, says Google UK boss

Icons of social media apps, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and WhatsApp, are displayed on a mobile phone screen

Growing social media app vows to shake up ‘toxic’ status quo

Will Guyatt questions who is responsible for the safety of children online

Are Zuckerberg and Musk responsible for looking after my kids online?

Social media apps on a phone

U16s social media ban punishes children for tech firm failures, charities say

Google shown on a smartphone

US Government proposes forcing Google to sell Chrome to break-up tech empire

The logo for Google's Gemini AI assistant

Google’s Gemini AI gets dedicated iPhone app in the UK for the first time

Facebook stock

EU fines Meta £660m for competition rule breaches over Facebook Marketplace

A phone taking a photo of a phone mast

Government pledges more digital inclusion as rural Wales gets phone mast boost

Social media apps displayed on a mobile phone screen

What is Bluesky and why are people leaving X to sign up?

Someone types at a keyboard

Cyber security chief warns Black Friday shoppers to be alert to scams

MPs

Ministers pressed on excluding Chinese firms from UK’s genomics sector

Child with mobile phone stock

Specially designed smartphone for children launches in the UK

Roblox on a laptop

Children’s gaming platform Roblox makes ‘major update’ to parental controls

An offshore wind farm

Government launches competition to find AI solutions to boost UK clean energy

A Google logo on the screen of a mobile phone

Google partnership with Anthropic AI cleared by competition watchdog