FifthWall Unveils Autonomous Risk Reduction Platform Ukon: Exclusive

‘Historically, MSPs haven’t been the primary advisors in the cyber insurance space,’ says Cole Knuth, CEO of FifthWall. ‘With Ukon, we’re putting the power back in their hands and making it easier for them to help their clients navigate cyber risk and insurance without crossing regulatory boundaries.’

To help customers combat cyber risk, cyber insurance vendor FifthWall has launched Ukon, an autonomous risk reduction platform designed to transform abstract cyber risk data into clear, actionable financial insights. The platform promises to offer MSPs and SMBs a tool to assess their financial exposure and take decisive action.

Ukon aggregates risk data across an entire portfolio into a single, unified view which provides real-time insights and enables better decision-making when managing cyber risk. The platform is also a direct result of FifthWall’s $5 million Series A funding secured last year, which aimed to enhance its ability to deliver actionable cyber risk data and insights.

“We saw an opportunity to put MSPs at the center of the cyber risk conversation,” Cole Knuth, CEO of Wexford, Pa.-based FifthWall, told CRN in an exclusive interview. “Historically, MSPs haven’t been the primary advisors in the cyber insurance space. With Ukon, we’re putting the power back in their hands and making it easier for them to help their clients navigate cyber risk and insurance without crossing regulatory boundaries.”

Traditional cyber risk scores often fail to provide businesses with a tangible understanding of their vulnerabilities, Knuth (pictured) said. Ukon aims to address that gap by offering real-time insights that transform complex cyber risks into digestible financial metrics. This allows end customers to manage their cyber risk exposure proactively while enabling MSPs to become trusted advisors to their clients.

The platform even allows users to initiate automated assessments and prefill applications, making the insurance process smoother and more efficient.

“I think Ukon is going to be a fantastic resource for MSPs to enhance their role as a trusted advisor and simplify the process of making sure their clients are informed, insured and following a baseline of best practices,” Josh Hohbein, information security lead at Poway, Calif.-based CentrexIT, told CRN in an email.

One of the key challenges MSPs face, according to Knuth, is that they are often reactive when it comes to addressing cyber risk with clients. Too frequently, MSPs only discuss cyber insurance and risk mitigation after an issue arises, leaving them at a disadvantage. The Ukon platform aims to change this dynamic by fostering earlier conversations about risk with clients well before the need for insurance becomes urgent.

“The analogy I like to use is homeowners insurance,” Knuth said. “You wouldn’t wait until your house is damaged by a tornado to buy insurance, right? Cyber risk works the same way. Education and awareness need to happen at the start of the relationship, long before the client is in need of coverage.”

The platform provides a comprehensive view of a client’s cyber risk profile and pairs it with suitable insurance options. This approach encourages MSPs to have proactive discussions with their clients and, in turn, allows business owners to better understand what types of cyber insurance are available to them and best suited to their needs.

“We're not just offering a product, we’re offering a tool that gives MSPs the ability to lead the conversation around cybersecurity and insurance,” Knuth said. “While there are other tools in the insurtech and cybersecurity space, what makes us different is our focus on the MSP ecosystem. We’re not charging MSPs for the technology. Instead, we’re giving them a tool that they can use for free to help them engage with their clients, providing transparency in the process.”

Ultimately, “we’re not selling software or tools,” he added. “We’re providing MSPs with a lens through which they can show clients the financial risk they carry and present insurance products to mitigate that risk.”

As part of a phased rollout, Ukon will go live for general availability in mid-summer 2025, with plans to expand its user base as feedback from early access partners help fine-tune the technology.

“The idea is to create consistency across the MSP’s customer ecosystem,” Knuth said. “Right now, customers often balk at services they don’t perceive as essential, but when you present them with clear financial data about their risk, it’s a game-changer. MSPs can help clients make informed decisions and, ultimately, drive sales in a way that benefits everyone involved.”