BOSTON, Nov. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rapid7, Inc. (NASDAQ: RPD), a leader in threat detection and exposure management, today announced an expanded partnership with Microsoft aimed at helping organizations simplify and strengthen their detection and response capabilities across Microsoft environments. Rapid7’s new MDR for Microsoft solution integrates a dedicated service with Microsoft Defender that provides comprehensive coverage across endpoints, cloud, identity, and email. The collaboration is design ...

Core Insights - Microsoft's security business is becoming a significant revenue contributor, serving nearly 1.5 million security customers and closing fiscal 2025 with cloud revenues exceeding $168 billion, reflecting a 23% increase [1][8] - The integration of AI into Microsoft's security offerings marks a transformative shift, with systems analyzing over 100 trillion security signals daily and the introduction of an AI-driven Sentinel SIEM platform [2][3] - Microsoft's security expansion strategy capitalizes on its existing customer base and cloud infrastructure, creating cross-selling opportunities across its security portfolio [4] Security Business Performance - Microsoft Defender now secures nearly 2 million generative AI applications, showcasing the company's capability to meet emerging AI security needs [3] - The Security Copilot agents autonomously manage security tasks, significantly reducing costs and enhancing threat detection capabilities [3][4] Competitive Landscape - Palo Alto Networks reported AI-related annual recurring revenues of approximately $545 million, with a 200% year-over-year growth in its XSIAM AI-driven security operations platform [5] - CrowdStrike's fiscal 2025 annual recurring revenues reached $4.24 billion, growing 23% year-over-year, while introducing innovative AI-driven security solutions [6] Share Price and Valuation - Microsoft's shares have appreciated 21.8% year-to-date, outperforming the Zacks Computer – Software industry's growth of 19.4% [9] - The stock is currently trading at a forward Price/Sales ratio of 11.4X, compared to the industry's 8.51X, indicating a higher valuation [12]

Summary of Microsoft Security Conference Call Company Overview - **Company**: Microsoft - **Industry**: Cybersecurity Key Points and Arguments Microsoft Security Business - Microsoft has the largest security business globally, with a comprehensive portfolio that includes six product families: threat protection, identity management, device management, data security, and generative AI security solutions [6][7][8] Current Cybersecurity Challenges 1. **Threat Landscape**: - Unprecedented levels of cyber threats, with password attacks increasing from 4,000 per second last year to 7,000 this year, totaling 600 million attacks daily [11][12] - Attackers can infiltrate organizations in an average of 72 minutes [13] - The cybercrime economy is valued at $9.2 trillion annually, with a 5x increase in tracked unique attackers from 300 to 1,500 [13] 2. **Data Risks**: - 20% of data breaches are caused by insiders, and over 80% of leaders express concern about data security, especially with the rise of AI [14] 3. **Complexity**: - Organizations typically use over 40 security tools, leading to fragmentation and complexity in security management [15][16] Trends and Solutions - **Generative AI**: - AI is being leveraged for both enhancing security measures and protecting AI systems themselves [17] - **Consolidation and Simplification**: - The need for end-to-end protection and integration of security solutions is emphasized [17] Microsoft’s Differentiation - **Signal Processing**: - Microsoft processes 84 trillion signals daily, a tenfold increase from five years ago, providing deep threat intelligence [20][21] - **Comprehensive Portfolio**: - Microsoft offers a broad range of integrated security solutions across 50 categories, ensuring holistic protection [22][23] - **Best of Breed Solutions**: - Microsoft leads in 19 security categories, showcasing its commitment to quality and innovation [23] AI and Security - AI is transforming the threat landscape, with attackers using AI for faster and more sophisticated attacks, including phishing and identity theft [29][30] - Microsoft is focused on protecting the entire AI stack and using AI to enhance its security measures [32][33] Collaborative Ecosystem - Microsoft emphasizes collaboration within the security industry, launching agents developed by partners to enhance its security offerings [36][40] Secure Future Initiative - Launched in 2023, this initiative focuses on Zero Trust principles and aims to integrate security into every aspect of Microsoft’s operations, with 34,000 engineers dedicated to this project [41][44][46] Market Position and Shareholder Value - Security is a top priority for organizations, making it a defensible investment that directly impacts shareholder value [65][66] - Microsoft’s security innovations are expected to drive customer value and maintain a competitive edge in the market [66][67] Final Thoughts - Microsoft is actively securing 2 million applications with its Defender product and is committed to enhancing its security portfolio, particularly in the realm of generative AI [68][69] Additional Important Content - The discussion highlights the critical role of security in enabling trust and operational efficiency within organizations, emphasizing that without security, the functionality of technology is severely compromised [63][64]