Databricks boosts cybersecurity with Lakewatch after $5B funding | Ukraine news

Source Domain: mezha.net

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Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points.
A new Databricks product blends data lakes, SIEM tasks, and Claude-powered agents to detect threats earlier and protect sensitive enterprise data.

Databricks is intensifying its cybersecurity capabilities after raising more than $5 billion last month, using these resources to support Lakewatch – a new product focused on data protection and early threat detection. Lakewatch combines Databricks’ capacity to store large data volumes with traditional SIEM tasks, augmented by AI agents powering Claude from Anthropic.
Two startups that underpin Lakewatch
Databricks acquired Antimatter – a deal closed last year – and SiftD.ai, completed in the last few weeks and finalized on Monday, according to TechCrunch.
The terms of both deals were not disclosed. Antimatter was founded by cybersecurity researcher Andriy Kryukov and in 2022 raised $12 million under the leadership of New Enterprise Associates, according to PitchBook. If SiftD.ai raised funding, PitchBook did not provide data.
SiftD.ai was so young that it launched its product in November – an interactive notebook designed for collaborative work by people and agents. The Databricks team knew the co-founder and CEO Steve Zhang from years of work as the chief scientist at Splunk (until 2021). He created a language for processing search queries while there. His LinkedIn profile also claims he was CTO of Astronomer, in connection with a scandal involving the CEO of Coldplay, but he left there in 2023 before founding SiftD.
Both acquisitions were small in scale – SiftD had only a few people, and Antimatter fewer than 50 people according to LinkedIn. SiftD appears to be an acquihire. From Antimatter, Databricks likely gained some IP as well. Kryukov demonstrated Antimatter’s technologies at the RSA Innovation Sandbox Contest in 2024. Antimatter was developing a tool called the “data control plane,” which allowed enterprises to securely deploy agents, protecting confidential data.
Although Databricks does not disclose the number of employees who joined, the company confirmed that the startup teams joined Databricks. Kryukov, who has been with the company for several months, leads the Lakewatch team.
We asked Databricks about plans for future acquisitions; a company spokesperson confirmed that they continue to broaden their connections. “We are always looking ahead – our aim is to stay at the cutting edge of the market and fill the gaps in our customers’ needs,” said the representative.

“We are always looking ahead – our aim is to stay at the cutting edge of the market and fill the gaps in our customers’ needs.”
– A Databricks representative

“We are always looking ahead – our goal is to stay one step ahead of the market and fill the gaps in our customers’ needs.”
– A Databricks representative

Thus, the acquisitions of Antimatter and SiftD.ai strengthen Lakewatch with new AI technology and enhance data governance and threat response. This reflects Databricks’ strategic vision: expanding cybersecurity through targeted acquisitions, backed by AI innovations, with the aim of maintaining leadership in the cloud analytics market.