How Barracuda’s Best SecOps Solution is Setting a New Standard for AI-Powered Threat Detection

Barracuda Networks is raising the bar for security operations. The company’s Managed XDR platform was recently recognized as Best SecOps Solution by the Tech Ascension Awards for its ability to deliver rapid, AI-driven detection and response at scale. To explore what makes Barracuda stand out in today’s crowded market and how its global SOC is helping organizations stay ahead of sophisticated cyberthreats, we sat down with Adam Khan, VP of Global Security Operations at Barracuda Networks.

Barracuda Managed XDR was recently named Best SecOps Solution in the Tech Ascension Awards. What sets it apart in today’s crowded cybersecurity market?

Barracuda stands out with a fully managed, enterprise-grade XDR platform that slashes response times from days to seconds. It’s built for organizations of all sizes, offering 24/7/365 protection through a global Security Operations Center (SOC) staffed by five expert teams.

Powered by one of the industry’s largest threat intelligence databases with more than 11 billion indicators of compromise (IOCs) and a continuously learning AI engine, Barracuda ingests trillions of signals across endpoints, cloud, email, and firewalls. With integrated SIEM, SOAR, and over 1,000 ML-enhanced detection rules aligned to MITRE ATT&CK, it delivers precision analytics and automated response at scale.

As an open XDR platform, it integrates seamlessly with existing environments, accelerating deployment and boosting efficiency. Unlike partial SOC offerings, Barracuda delivers a unified, outcomes-driven solution backed by best-in-class SLAs – making it a true strategic ally in the fight against cyberthreats.

What are the top threats your SOC is currently seeing?

Major vulnerabilities have played a significant role in recent ransomware attacks from the Akira ransomware group. Ransomware continues to dominate the threat landscape, with 57% of organizations reporting a successful attack in the past year, according to our 2025 Ransomware Insights Report. What’s especially alarming is the growing connection between email breaches and ransomware incidents – 71% of organizations that experienced an email compromise were subsequently hit with ransomware, underscoring the critical need for integrated threat detection.

Supply chain compromises and vulnerabilities in widely used applications are also being weaponized, giving attackers multiple avenues to infiltrate organizations before deploying ransomware.

Today’s attacks are no longer single-stage events. Threat actors are deploying increasingly complex, multi-phase campaigns. Beyond initial encryption, we’re seeing a surge in data exfiltration (27%), deployment of secondary malicious payloads (29%) and deliberate backup destruction (19%) – all designed to maximize leverage and disruption.To counter these evolving threats, the Barracuda SOC prioritizes continuous monitoring, AI-driven detection and rapid response. By identifying and containing threats early in the attack lifecycle, we help organizations prevent business disruption and stay ahead of adversaries who are growing more sophisticated by the day.

Can you describe what Barracuda’s SOC looks like in practice — and how it helps keep organizations protected 24/7?

Barracuda’s SOC is a global, always-on defense hub operating 24/7/365. It’s staffed by five specialized teams of seasoned cybersecurity experts who deliver continuous monitoring, AI-powered threat detection and rapid response. This isn’t just reactive support; it’s proactive protection designed to identify and neutralize threats before they escalate.The SOC ingests trillions of signals across customer environments – from endpoints and servers to cloud, email and firewalls – giving it deep visibility into suspicious activity across the full attack surface. By leveraging advanced analytics and machine learning, it can detect subtle anomalies and respond with precision in real time.For customers, this means enterprise-grade security without the complexity or cost of building and staffing their own SOC. With multi-tenancy, SOC-as-a-Service capabilities and hands-on enablement support, Barracuda makes world-class protection accessible and scalable to organizations of all sizes and industries. 

How is Barracuda incorporating AI into its Managed XDR platform and overall detection and response strategy? AI is the backbone of Barracuda’s Managed XDR platform, driving faster, smarter and more adaptive threat detection and response across the entire attack surface. Its automated threat response capabilities enable instant detection and containment – minimizing risk without the need for manual intervention and dramatically reducing response time.

The platform applies advanced analytics and over 1,000 machine learning–powered detection rules to trillions of signals across environments. This deep, continuous analysis allows Barracuda to uncover ransomware, zero-day exploits and sophisticated multi-stage attacks in real time – before they can cause disruption.

What sets Barracuda apart is its AI engine’s ability to learn and evolve. By continuously ingesting global threat intelligence and adapting to emerging attack patterns, it sharpens detection accuracy, reduces false positives and empowers security and IT teams to act with confidence. 

Alert fatigue continues to overwhelm many security teams. How does Barracuda Managed XDR reduce noise and help teams focus on what really matters?

We’re tackling alert fatigue head-on by combining AI-driven prioritization with proactive threat hunting to ensure IT and security teams only see what truly matters – high-risk, actionable alerts. The platform automatically filters out false positives and low-priority events, dramatically reducing the noise that typically overwhelms analysts.

On average, Barracuda Managed XDR reduces alerts for our customers by 90%, enabling security teams to reclaim valuable time and focus on true threats.

Real-time automated responses contain threats within seconds, allowing teams to shift from reactive firefighting to strategic decision-making. By surfacing only the most relevant threats and eliminating alert clutter, we’re empowering teams to stay focused, respond faster and maintain a resilient security posture without being buried in distractions.

As the threat landscape evolves, what’s next for Barracuda Managed XDR — and how are you preparing customers for the future?

We’re focused on solving two of the most pressing challenges facing organizations today: the rise of increasingly sophisticated threats and the growing burden of operational complexity. 

Repeat attacks are often fueled by fragmented security architectures, as evidenced in our 2025 Ransomware Insights Report. 74% of organizations hit multiple times cite tool sprawl as a key issue, while 61% struggle with poor integration between their tools. With 38% of victims experiencing repeat ransomware incidents, it’s clear that persistent architectural gaps must be addressed.To help customers stay ahead, Barracuda Managed XDR unifies threat detection and response across endpoints, cloud, email, and network environments. By reducing tool sprawl and streamlining operations, we’re enabling security teams to work more efficiently and effectively.AI-driven prioritization, proactive threat hunting and real-time automated response allow teams to focus on high-impact alerts and contain threats within seconds. Combined with 24/7 expert SOC support, Barracuda delivers a powerful blend of intelligence, automation and human expertise – arming organizations with the agility and resilience they need to defend against tomorrow’s threats.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to security teams looking to improve their detection and response strategy today? Start with the fundamentals – and don’t underestimate their importance. According to our data, 71% of organizations that experienced an email breach were subsequently hit with ransomware. Yet many of these victims lacked basic security controls across email, network or endpoint environments. That’s not just a vulnerability—it’s an open invitation.

The most effective way to strengthen your detection and response strategy is to close those foundational gaps and ensure your defenses are integrated, continuously monitored and working in concert. Sophisticated attacks often exploit simple oversights. By reinforcing the basics and building a unified security architecture, teams can dramatically reduce risk and stay ahead of threats before they escalate.

How Best AI/ML Powered Cybersecurity Solution Award Winner McAfee is Redefining Scam Protection for Consumers

We sat down with McAfee Chief Technology Officer Steve Grobman to discuss their 2025 Tech Ascension Awards win for Best AI/ML Powered Cybersecurity Solution and how the company is redefining scam protection for consumers. In this interview, Steve shares how McAfee’s AI-powered Scam Detector is helping people navigate an era of increasingly sophisticated scams across text, email, and video. He also outlines McAfee’s vision for the future of consumer protection, where real-time scam detection becomes as seamless and expected as a spam filter.

McAfee’s Scam Detector was named Best AI/ ML Powered Solution. Given the rising sophistication and frequency of scams, how does McAfee's Scam Detector uniquely equip consumers to protect themselves across various digital communication channels? 

Scams have become part of everyday life. Americans see an average of 14 scams a day, from fake DMV texts and emails posing as a boss to deepfake videos promoting bogus investments. Falling for just one can cost around $1,500, and beyond the financial loss it undermines trust in how we connect online. Scam Detector addresses this by automatically scanning text, email, and video, including deepfakes, and flagging suspicious content before someone clicks or responds. It’s built for modern communication and works across apps, browsers, and devices, adapts as tactics evolve, and is included in all core McAfee plans at no extra cost. The result is a solution that provides protection that feels effortless, allowing people to navigate their digital lives with greater confidence. 

In what ways does McAfee's Scam Detector use AI to surpass traditional scam detection methods? 

Until recently, the status quo of scam detection has been reactive, relying on users spotting scams through poorly spelled messages or using anti-virus software to scan for malicious links and attachments. Both are still valuable methods, but they leave users exposed to more sophisticated scams that use AI to not only generate well-crafted messaging but also mimic language, tone, and even voices and faces. 

Scam Detector fills this gap and defends consumers against a comprehensive set of scams by leveraging a portfolio of advanced AI models running in the cloud and on devices. Our world-class team of AI researchers and data scientists are continuously evaluating the threat and scam landscape and leveraging new AI technology to protect customers and meet the growing need for tools that help people tell what’s real and what’s not. 

The technology is also designed to be educational. Using advanced generative AI, Scam Detector explains why content is suspicious, which helps consumers build the awareness and confidence to spot scams on their own. In doing so, it provides protection in the moment while also fostering long-term digital street smarts.

You mentioned seamless operation across various devices. What devices and platforms does McAfee’s Scam Detector operate on and what does the user-experience look like? 

Scams don’t wait for people to check their email at their desks. They arrive through texts, social apps, and even videos, catching people whenever and wherever they’re connected. That is why Scam Detector was designed mobile-first. Industry research shows that texts are opened within seconds, which makes speed essential. On Android, suspicious SMS messages are scanned automatically before they can be opened. On iPhone, they are filtered or can be checked quickly through a manual scan. The goal is to give people protection in all the places they’re exposed to scams, without adding extra steps. 

Scam Detector also extends to email across providers like Gmail, Microsoft, and Yahoo. When a message looks suspicious, it is moved out of the inbox and the user can see a short explanation of why it was flagged. This prevents costly mistakes in the moment while also helping people recognize patterns and spot scams more easily in the future. 

Deepfakes are making headlines more and more, from fake celebrity endorsements to political misinformation. Scam Detector addresses this issue by analyzing content on platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, with all processing done on the device to protect privacy. By bringing together protection for text, email, and video, Scam Detector reflects the way scams actually reach people today and helps them stay safer and feel more confident engaging online.

Why does this matter? 

Scams are happening at an increased scale and speed. In the past year, 59 percent of people worldwide said they had either fallen victim to a scam or knew someone who had. Deepfakes can now be created in minutes for as little as five dollars, making sophisticated deception accessible to anyone with an internet connection. 

The impact goes far beyond money. Victims lose time, confidence, and trust in the platforms and tools they rely on every day – and over time, encountering scams can make people more hesitant to engage confidently online. 

Scam Detector gives people a compass for the internet—because seeing and hearing aren’t always believing. It works in real time across text, email, and video and explains why something looks risky, so people can trust what they’re seeing and stay ready for whatever comes next. This combination of protection and awareness helps people stay safer now and better prepared for the future. 

Why now? 

The pace of scams has accelerated dramatically. In the last year alone, detected deepfakes increased tenfold worldwide, with North America seeing a 1,740 percent rise. Nearly one in three Americans reported falling victim to an online scam between May 2024 and May 2025. These numbers show that scams are no longer occasional events but an everyday risk.

What makes this moment different is the role of AI. Cybercriminals now have access to tools that let them create convincing messages, voices, and videos in minutes. The barrier to launching a sophisticated scam has never been lower. 

The urgency is clear. People need protection that evolves as quickly as the threats they face, and they need it now. 

How does the introduction of McAfee’s Scam Detector impact consumers?

When scams don’t reach you, you keep your money, your time, and your peace of mind. McAfee’s Scam Detector provides that protection by analyzing texts, emails, and videos automatically and warning you before you click, reply, or pay. When it flags something, it also explains what looks off—so you avoid losses today and get smarter for tomorrow. And because it’s included with every McAfee plan at no extra cost, you get protection without extra spend. 

What do you foresee for McAfee's future? 

At McAfee, we’re focused on staying ahead of new threats so people feel protected as scams evolve. Just as important, we want to build a more scam-aware public — giving people both the digital street smarts and the technology to spot trouble before it costs them. Real-time protection paired with clear explanations means consumers get safety in the moment and confidence for the future. 

Looking ahead, our vision is simple: within five years, scam protection should be as automatic and expected as a spam filter. McAfee is committed to making that a reality by delivering security that is seamless, accessible, and essential to everyday life.

Atombeam CEO Charles Yeomans on How Its Ai-Powered Neurpac Solution Is Transforming Data Transmission

We sat down with Atombeam Technologies CEO Charles Yeomans to discuss their recent 2025 Tech Ascension Award win for Best Data Management Solution and how the company is redefining how organizations tackle the growing data crisis. In this interview, Charles shares how Atobeam AI-powered Neurpac solution is transforming data transmission and why recognition from Tech Ascension Awards validates their bold approach. He also outlines the future of big data, from IoT and AI challenges to Atombeam’s vision for next-generation efficiency and scalability.

What does winning the Tech Ascension Award for Big Data mean to Atombeam Technologies, and how does it validate your approach to data optimization?

Winning the 2025 Tech Ascension Award for Best Data Management Solution – AI-Powered Transmission is a tremendous honor for Atombeam Technologies. This recognition of our Neurpac product validates our core belief: that transforming data itself, rather than only expanding infrastructure, is the future to solving the looming data crisis. This award validates Atombeam’s innovative solutions for efficiency, security, and scalability in modern-day big data. It's a testament to the dedication of our team and the trust of our investors, partners, and customers who are all instrumental in Atombeam's journey to revolutionize how data is used, moved, stored, and secured.

Atombeam is known for its innovative data-as-codewords technology. Can you elaborate on how your solution tackles the prevalent challenges of data sprawl and inefficient data transmission in today's data-intensive world – and more specifically the growth of the IoT and increased use of AI?

At Atombeam, our innovative Data-as-Codewords technology is designed to fundamentally reimagine data transmission, storage and access. Unlike traditional compression, Neurpac uses AI and machine learning to identify recurring patterns in raw data and convert them into compact "codewords". This process, which generates machine-learned codebooks, enables lossless data reduction of an average of 75 percent, effectively quadrupling bandwidth with near-zero latency. For the exponential growth of IoT and AI, where data volumes are straining digital infrastructure, Atombeam's Neurpac operates effortlessly on heavy AI workloads and small, frequent data packets, down to four bytes, without manual configuration. It's a software-only solution, compatible with existing infrastructure, ensuring Atombeam provides real-time, high-efficiency, and secure data transmission from edge devices.

Looking ahead, what emerging trends do you see in the big data landscape, and how is Atombeam Technologies positioned to address these evolving needs with your current or upcoming innovations?

Looking ahead, I see the big data landscape facing a critical need for more efficient and intelligent AI systems. Atombeam Technologies is uniquely positioned to address this with our Persistent Cognitive Machine (PCM). Unlike traditional language models, the PCM is an always-on cognitive system that proactively initiates interaction and maintains long-term memory through "thought caches". This includes an executive function that governs reasoning, memory usage, and collaboration. PCM enables highly efficient, domain-specific AI performance, dramatically reducing compute requirements by up to 85 percent through its codeword approach and cache-based architecture. Atombeam is providing a path forward for advancing generative AI applications through purely software-based solutions that are more efficient and adaptable.

Data centers are the backbone of big data. How does Atombeam's technology specifically impact data center efficiency, costs, or performance, particularly as data volumes continue to explode?

Data centers are certainly the backbone, and Atombeam's technology enhances their efficiency, reduces costs, and boosts performance, particularly as data volumes continue to explode. By shrinking data transfer sizes by an average of 75 percent, Neurpac provides significant cost savings, lowering transmission and storage expenses, and extending the lifespan of existing infrastructure while simultaneously making it more secure.. This allows organizations to manage immense data growth more economically without needing costly hardware upgrades. Moreover, Atombeam's solution contributes to sustainability by efficiently handling small IoT sensor payloads, leading to lower power consumption in data centers and decreasing capital costs associated with managing increasing IoT data. Neurpac ensures real-time data transmission with near-zero latency, vital for critical applications and for improving overall operational efficiencies within data centers.

Based on your experience, which industries are currently experiencing the most significant benefits from Atombeam's technology, and what makes them particularly well-suited for your solution?

Industries currently experiencing significant benefits from Atombeam's technology are data-heavy sectors where speed, bandwidth, and real-time decision-making are essential. These include finance, telecommunications, industrial IoT, energy, defense, healthcare, smart infrastructure, and AI. Our solution is particularly well-suited for these industries because it addresses their core challenges: overwhelming data volumes, limited bandwidth, and the need to decrease latency. But importantly, Atombeam's technologies are applicable across any industries that must use, move, store and secure data. For instance, in manufacturing, Neurpac supports responsive diagnostics; in energy, it improves SCADA sensor data transfer; and in defense and aerospace, it's proven effective in constrained, high-security environments like SATCOM and Link 16.

The ability to reduce data by 75% and quadruple – or more – effective bandwidth with near-zero latency makes our technology invaluable in these critical applications.