Top 10: Security as a service platforms

2022. DataGuard locks down $61M for data protection as a service



DataGuard is a Munich-based startup that has leaned into the SaaS-based business model to provide privacy, information security and other data protection as a series of on-demand, cloud-based “as-a-service” tools to small and medium-sized businesses, and today it’s announcing that it has secured $61 million in a Series B round. DataGuard provides a range of tools across privacy, information security and compliance that can assess the different ways that data is being used by an organization. It analyzes this data to determine whether a company is compliant with various certifications (for example, GDPR, CCPA, ISO 27001, TISAX or SOC 2); and if not, what it needs to do to become compliant.


2021. Aqua Security raises $135M for its cloud native security platform



Aqua Security, a security startup that focuses squarely on securing cloud-native services, has raised a $135 million Series E funding round at a $1 billion valuation. The company was one of the earliest to focus on securing container deployments. And while many of its competitors were acquired over the years, Aqua remains independent and is now likely on a path to an IPO. When it launched, the industry focus was still very much on Docker and Docker containers. To the detriment of Docker, that quickly shifted to Kubernetes, which is now the de facto standard. But enterprises are also now looking at serverless and other new technologies on top of this new stack.

2020. Cyberpion raises $8.25M to help businesses secure assets beyond their firewall



Cyberpion, a security startup, aiming to help enterprises identify and neutralize risks that typically stem from connections to their infrastructure assets, has raised an $8.25 million seed round. The service analyzes a company’s security stance with regard to hacker attacks by looking at the connections it makes across the public infrastructure of the internet — and with that it can look at how a company connects to one vendor, but also how they are connected to others, as well. With that, Cyberpion is able to discover the inventory of known and unknown assets a company has across its ecosystem and can continuously scan for security vulnerabilities and, of course, provide alerts and recommendations for how to remedy these issues.


2020. Security as a service provider Expel lands $50M



Expel, a four-year-old startup that offers security operations as a service, announced a $50 million Series D. The idea behind Expel is to give customers a set of tools to help use automation to reduce the number of people required to keep an organization safe. Most companies struggle to find experienced security employees, so it’s using automation to solve a real pain point for them.


2015. Microsoft acquired cloud security provider Adallom



Microsoft has recently acquired cloud security firm Adallom. Adallom specializes in providing identity-based security-as-a-service to safeguard enterprise application data and content stored on third-party cloud platforms. Notable companies such as Hewlett-Packard (HP), LinkedIn, Netflix, and SAP are among Adallom's clients. In a statement on Adallom's homepage, the company expressed its excitement about joining Microsoft and the opportunity to assist a larger customer base in leveraging cloud applications without compromising security. For the time being, Adallom will continue its regular operations as the integration into Microsoft takes place. The company will continue selling its solutions and supporting existing customers during the transition period.