Automox Inc. closes on $2M for its automated cyber protection

BOULDER — Jay Prassl, chief executive of Boulder-based tech firm Automox Inc., is looking to make cybersecurity less reactive and more proactive, by focusing less on the detection of hacks and more on protecting your system from them.

Prassl said one of the best and simplest ways to do so is through managing and staying up-to-date on patches — software updates that protect from vulnerabilities and bugs.

Despite being simple, many don’t update their patches, and it can be difficult for an information-technology manager to track down who has updated and who hasn’t.

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Automox has developed a solution that automates patch updates, allowing them to happen systemwide automatically.

“Companies have largely ignored cyber hygiene,” Prassl told BizWest. “Patching your system is like brushing your teeth. No one would argue you should walk out the door without brushing your teeth. But people aren’t doing the basics, they’re not executing good cyber hygiene.”

Automox has found the solution by automating patch updates for operating and third-party software. If there is a patch that needs to be applied, the Automox software will automatically do it, and will also add necessary programs like antivirus.

“We do the work to allow the IT manager to work on more important things by automating the brushing of teeth and combing of hair that’s largely overlooked,” he said.

Because of its simple solution, Automox has gained the attention of investors. The firm recently closed on a $2 million funding round, lead by Boulder-based Blue Note Ventures. The round was also backed by investors from key security companies like Tenable and Carbon Black.

Looking ahead, Prassl said Automox plans to scale and ramp up the business, hiring heavily on the engineering side, as well as in sales and marketing. The company is also looking at providing its endpoint protection service as an API, so large companies can easily embed Autmox’s platform as a plug-in.

“Hackers aren’t looking for the hardest way to get in, they’re looking for the easiest,” Prassl said. “They go for the most basic thing people should be doing, find which systems are open and get whatever they can off your machine. People think only the biggest companies get hacked, but companies across the board are open to this issue.”