Following last week’s news of the death of Her Majesty the Queen, I wanted to extend my condolences to all those in the UK and the Commonwealth countries, and acknowledge the incredible legacy of this significant and respected global figure.
As we reflect on the immense contribution the Queen made over her 70-year reign, for many of us at Sophos that includes her visit to our newly built UK headquarters in 2004.
Sophos was founded in the UK, and we were honored that the Queen formally opened this key site just outside Oxford. For the entire Sophos team, Her Majesty’s recognition of our contributions to cybersecurity was deeply valued and appreciated.
The visit, as you would expect, required extensive and careful planning. The Queen’s team asked to speak with our security team as part of the preparations. However, both sides understood the term ‘security’ in different ways and the resulting meeting between the Sophos cyberthreat experts and the royal personal protection squad drew amused smiles all round.
During her visit, Her Majesty took the time to meet with many of the Sophos team and develop her understanding of cybersecurity. We welcomed the opportunity to discuss the challenges facing defenders and share our commitment to protecting organizations around the globe from ever-growing cyber threats.
Much has changed both at Sophos and in the wider threat landscape since Her Majesty’s visit. Indeed, the Sophos X-Ops team sees a greater volume, variety, and sophistication of attacks than many would have imagined possible eighteen years ago.
As the need for world-class cyber defenses continues to grow, the number of Sophos staff has increased more than fivefold. Today, we over have 4,000 experts working around the globe, delivering superior cybersecurity outcomes for organizations of all sizes.
The Queen will be remembered as an iconic and celebrated figure, and as an outstanding example of continuity, duty, and leadership that will be admired for generations. At Sophos we are grateful for the opportunity to have met her and shared with her our commitment to cybersecurity.