Armor

Armor, formerly known as FireHost, operates as a global cloud-native managed detection and response provider, carving out a significant space in the computer and network security industry. The company was established in 2009 by Chris Drake, whose journey into cybersecurity was deeply influenced by his prior experiences. Drake began his career as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division, where he was involved in building some of the Army's first private secure websites. This military background, combined with a formative incident at his subsequent interactive marketing company, TargetScope, where a client was hacked, instilled in him a personal mission to prevent similar occurrences, which became the foundational ethos of Armor.

The company rebranded from FireHost to Armor in August 2015 to better reflect its expanded vision beyond secure hosting to active cyber defense. This strategic shift was a direct response to a market saturated with point solutions that proved ineffective, moving towards providing comprehensive security outcomes rather than just tools. Armor serves a diverse clientele, from Fortune 500 companies and financial institutions to healthcare organizations and e-commerce enterprises, safeguarding over 1,500 firms in more than 40 countries. The business model is centered on delivering managed security services and consulting, generating revenue through solutions that protect endpoints, networks, servers, and cloud environments.

Armor’s core offerings are designed to provide robust security and compliance. Its main product, Armor Anywhere (now known as Armor Agent for Servers), delivers managed security for various cloud environments, including AWS, Azure, and private clouds. This service integrates capabilities such as threat detection and response, vulnerability scanning, file integrity monitoring, and malware protection into a single agent, simplifying security management for IT and security teams. The service is supported by a 24/7/365 Security Operations Center (SOC) staffed by cybersecurity experts who monitor environments, hunt for threats, and provide incident response. Another key product is Armor Complete, a secure managed cloud that evolved from the original FireHost Virtual Private Cloud, offering a fully integrated solution for businesses with stringent compliance needs like PCI, HIPAA, and HITRUST. A significant milestone includes a strategic partnership with Microsoft, which has designated Armor with a Specialist Designation in Cloud Security and Threat Protection. In early 2025, the company launched its Nexus portal, granting clients real-time visibility into the actions taken by the SOC to neutralize threats.

Keywords: cloud security, managed detection and response, cybersecurity, compliance solutions, threat intelligence, cloud workload protection, incident response, network security, data protection, security operations center, PCI compliance, HIPAA compliance, Chris Drake, FireHost, Armor Anywhere, vulnerability management, private cloud security, endpoint security, security consulting, risk management