Akamai to acquire cyber security firm Guardicore

Akamai has signed a definitive agreement to acquire cloud and data center security firm Guardicore.

Guardicore's micro-segmentation solution minimizes attack surfaces and helps businesses limit user access to authorized applications.

With inter-app communication disabled by default, malware spread is drastically reduced, limiting security threats. Besides data centers, the solution extends to bare metal, virtual machines, and containers.

Guardicore's micro-segmentation technology will add to Akamai's extensive Zero Trust Security portfolio. The integration will place Akamai in a unique position to provide enterprise-wide protection against threats, including malware and ransomware.

“Akamai currently offers a broad suite of innovative and leading Zero Trust security solutions, including Web Application Firewall (WAF), Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), Domain Name System (DNS) Firewall, and Secure Web Gateway (SWG), that help prevent attackers and malware on employee devices from gaining access to enterprise infrastructure and applications. But to be secure in today's world, enterprises also need a second layer of defense to block the spread of malware after it has gained a foothold within the corporate infrastructure,” explained Akamai.

GuardCore's micro-segmentation solution brings deep visibility into application patterns across data centers and the cloud, enabling businesses to better understand and protect their assets.

The Akamai-Guardicore deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021. Akamai has not revealed the financial terms of the acquisition. According to reports, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC was a financial advisor to Akamai on this deal.

Lastly, Akamai is estimated to generate $30 to $35 million in revenue from its acquisition of Guardicore in the fiscal year 2022.

"Guardicore's mission is to protect enterprises from damage caused by breaches, like ransomware, while safeguarding the critical assets at the heart of the network," said Pavel Gurvich, co-founder and CEO of Guardicore.

Gurvich added, "The customer is able to reduce risk in a holistic way across all products, managing from a single console, versus many products and machines. My team and I greatly look forward to joining Akamai to protect the user and the enterprise -- no matter what the user is doing or where end users and workloads are located."