Akamai to acquire Guardicore for $600 million to help stop ransomware
- ByStartupStory | October 2, 2021
Akamai Technologies, an edge security and content delivery company, has announced plans to buy Guardicore, an Israeli micro-segmentation technology business, for US$600 million. The deal, according to Akamai, would provide new capabilities to help customers combat ransomware attacks by preventing malware from spreading within a compromised company. Akamai hopes that this will lead to the next level of enterprise zero-trust services.
Guardicore offers a product called the Centra Security Platform designed to halt ransomware. It deploys software-defined micro-segmentation along with visualization technology to control communication between applications in an enterprise network. Centra’s software agents communicate with a central controller, either in a network host or via cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS), to open communications with other apps only if permitted. The solution works consistently across clouds, including AWS and Azure. If malware is detected, communications are shut down. Security personnel can set policies, alerts, and other controls through the visual interface. The company has raised $110 million in funding, its latest round a $60 million Series C in May 2019.
Akamai plans to add Guardicore’s microsegmentation capabilities into its zero-trust security portfolio, which already includes Web Application Firewall, Zero Trust Network Access, Domain Name System Firewall, and Secure Web Gateway tools.
“Given the recent surge in ransomware attacks and increasingly stringent compliance regulations, investing in technologies to reduce the spread of malware has become mission critical. By adding Guardicore’s leading micro-segmentation products to Akamai’s comprehensive portfolio of Zero Trust solutions, we believe Akamai will be able to provide the most effective way to combat ransomware on the market today,” said Tom Leighton, chief executive officer and co-founder, Akamai Technologies.
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