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MSSP Expel Launches Security Service for AWS

Expel, a Top 250 MSSP and Top 20 managed detection and response (MDR) security company, has announced the Workbench for Amazon Web Services (AWS) security product. Organizations can use Workbench to monitor and investigate potential security risks in AWS environments, according to a prepared statement.

Workbench helps organizations identify compromised instance credentials, publicly accessible databases and other AWS security issues, Expel indicated. It also notifies organizations about "interesting" things like risky authentications or unusual identity and access management (IAM) policy changes to help organizations proactively monitor and improve their AWS security posture.

How Does Workbench for AWS Work?

Workbench uses AWS logs and alerts to identify AWS security risks, Expel said. It surfaces Expel-validated alerts tracked by security operations center (SOC) analysts who have run thousands of investigations in AWS environments.

In addition, Workbench uses Expel's Ruxie bot to automatically investigate AWS security alerts, the company said. This ensures organizations can use Workbench to retrieve relevant data and insights to make fast, accurate AWS security decisions.

Workbench also filters out false-positive security alerts, Expel stated. In doing so, Workbench helps organizations verify if an alert requires further investigation and analysis.

Expel Adds $50 Million in Series D Financing

The Workbench for AWS news comes after Excel in May 2020 raised $50 million in a Series D funding round led by Capital G, the venture capital arm of Google parent Alphabet. Excel is using the funding to grow its sales and marketing operations, invest in its cloud security offerings and explore international expansion opportunities, the company said.

Excel offers security operations center-as-a-service (SOC) and security monitoring and response offerings for cloud, hybrid and on-premises environments. It also works with a variety of cloud, network and security information and event management (SIEM) providers.

To date, Expel has raised $117.5 million. The company previously announced plans to invest $1.4 million to expand its operations as well.

Dan Kobialka

Dan Kobialka is senior contributing editor, MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E. He covers IT security, IT service provider business strategies and partner programs. Dan holds a M.A. in Print and Multimedia Journalism from Emerson College and a B.A. in English from Bridgewater State University. In his free time, Dan enjoys jogging, traveling, playing sports, touring breweries and watching football.