Markel, the insurance operations within Markel Group Inc., has announced a new collaboration with Upfort to enhance cyber risk protection for eligible U.S. policyholders. Through this partnership, Markel is expanding its cyber insurance value proposition by integrating proactive cybersecurity tools designed to help businesses prevent attacks before they occur.
As cyber threats continue to grow in sophistication and frequency, insurers are increasingly focusing on prevention rather than solely post-breach recovery. Therefore, Markel is making Upfort Shield, a multi-layer cyber defense platform, available to eligible cyber policyholders. The platform delivers AI-powered, automated protection against common cyber threats, enabling businesses to strengthen their digital defenses with minimal operational disruption.
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In addition, policyholders can access an easy-to-deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solution powered by behavioral analytics. This technology actively monitors endpoint activity to detect anomalies and reduce the likelihood of a breach. However, service availability and pricing may vary depending on eligibility and specific policy terms.
“Markel’s relationship with Upfort helps strengthen our 360-degree approach to cyber insurance protection and ensures we are there for our clients before, during and after a cyber incident,” said Paul Melone, Executive Underwriting Officer, Professional Liability at Markel. “Providing businesses with tools that help them predict, prevent and recover from threats empowers them to stay resilient and confident in an increasingly complex digital environment.”
Importantly, this collaboration aligns with Markel’s broader cyber growth strategy. By combining insurance coverage with embedded cybersecurity services, the company aims to deliver more comprehensive protection to middle-market organizations. As a result, policyholders gain both financial protection and operational safeguards.
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“This collaboration aligns with Markel’s long-term cyber strategy to provide innovative insurance solutions for middle-market businesses,” said Raphael Da Costa, Senior Director, U.S. Cyber and Tech at Markel. “It allows us to broaden our appetite, helping our policyholders strengthen their risk prevention, and position ourselves to deliver customized cyber coverage as the market continues to mature.”
Upfort’s platform offers layered capabilities that include advanced email protection, continuous monitoring, employee cybersecurity training, and EDR tools. Consequently, businesses can address both human and technical vulnerabilities while maintaining focus on core operations and growth initiatives.
“By deploying the full Upfort Shield platform, Markel is adopting a proven cybersecurity solution with a multi-year track record of drastically reducing claim frequency,” said Josh Riley, Co-Founder of Upfort. “This collaboration can deliver market-leading value to policyholders to help prevent cyberattacks while also equipping Markel with the actionable intelligence needed to lead the next era of data-driven underwriting.”
Overall, this partnership reflects a growing shift in the cyber insurance industry toward integrated risk management. By blending underwriting expertise with real-time threat prevention tools, Markel is positioning itself to deliver stronger resilience, improved claims performance, and more data-driven cyber coverage solutions for U.S. businesses.
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