CrowdStrike and Nord Security have announced a strategic partnership aimed at addressing the cyber security challenge facing small to medium businesses, combining CrowdStrike’s Falcon platform with Nord Security’s secure access and credential management technologies.
The collaboration is designed to offer SMBs access to the same AI-powered protection used by larger enterprises, but in a form that is easier to purchase, deploy, and manage. The move comes as attackers are increasingly focusing on smaller organisations that lack dedicated security teams or budgets.
According to CrowdStrike’s State of SMB Cybersecurity Survey, just 36 per cent of SMBs are currently investing in new security tools, while only 11 per cent have adopted AI-powered defences. At the same time, threat actors are deploying enterprise-grade techniques against smaller targets, widening the risk gap that the partnership is intended to address.
Under the agreement, Nord Security will offer CrowdStrike’s Falcon Go, an AI-powered endpoint protection product designed specifically for SMBs, as well as Falcon Enterprise, directly through NordLayer. NordLayer is Nord Security’s network security platform for business, allowing customers to enable CrowdStrike protection via a simplified, toggle-ready experience.
The partnership also expands managed service provider offerings through Pax8. CrowdStrike, Nord Security, and Pax8 will jointly launch an add-on for Falcon Next-Gen SIEM that integrates CrowdStrike’s detection and response capabilities with Nord Security’s secure access and network solutions.
Qualifying customers will receive 90 days of free access as part of the rollout.
“This partnership transforms how SMBs secure their business,” Daniel Bernard, chief business officer at CrowdStrike, said in a 12 January statement.
“Together with Nord Security, we’re redefining cyber security for SMBs – combining the power of the Falcon platform with Nord’s SMB go-to-market prowess and secure access technology to deliver enterprise-grade protection that’s fast to deploy, simple to manage, and built to stop breaches.”
Nord Security said the partnership addresses the growing mismatch between expanding attack surfaces and limited security resources in smaller organisations.
“Every growing business faces the same challenge: their attack surface is expanding faster than their ability to secure it,” Mantas Ulozas, chief business development officer for B2B commercial at Nord Security, said.
“By combining our secure access and credential management solutions with CrowdStrike’s Falcon platform, we’re removing barriers of cost and complexity that have long limited SMBs’ access to enterprise-grade protection – giving them the visibility and confidence to defend against modern threats.”
David Hollingworth
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.