Digital Shadows

Digital Shadows provides a digital risk protection platform specializing in monitoring, analyzing, and mitigating external threats across the open, deep, and dark web. The company was founded in 2011 by Alastair Paterson and James Chappell, who previously worked together at the multinational defense and security company Detica. Their experience in the security industry provided the initial credibility and connections to shape a viable business model. The idea for the company was partly inspired by observing the vast amounts of sensitive information being shared on new social networks.

The firm's core product is the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform, SearchLight™, launched in 2014. SearchLight offers cyber situational awareness by providing an "attacker's eye view" of an organization's digital footprint. It continually monitors millions of data sources to detect data loss, secure online brands, and reduce a company's attack surface. The service combines scalable data analytics with human analysts to deliver tailored threat intelligence and remediation options. This helps clients in sectors like finance, healthcare, and government to protect against intellectual property loss and reputational damage. Revenue is generated through subscriptions to its platform and professional services.

Digital Shadows received early seed investment from Passion Capital after participating in the Accenture Fintech Innovation Lab in 2013. Over the years, it raised a total of $58.1M in funding from investors including Trinity Ventures and Storm Ventures. In June 2022, Digital Shadows was acquired by ReliaQuest, a security operations platform provider, for $160 million. The acquisition was aimed at combining ReliaQuest's internal visibility from its GreyMatter platform with Digital Shadows' external threat intelligence capabilities to offer a comprehensive, end-to-end view of security threats.

Keywords: digital risk protection, threat intelligence, cybersecurity, attack surface reduction, dark web monitoring, data loss detection, brand protection, cyber situational awareness, external threat detection, security operations, Alastair Paterson, James Chappell, SearchLight, ReliaQuest