Barracuda Networks Inc. today announced that it has acquired Evo Security Inc., a startup with a platform for managing employee access to business applications.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Campbell, California-based Barracuda is a major provider of cybersecurity software. It offers a platform called BarracudaONE that can protect email inboxes, networks and other technology assets. The company is also active in several adjacent segments. It offers backup tools that can create standby copies of data stored in services such as Microsoft 365.  

Evo Security has a narrower focus. The startup provides a cybersecurity platform for managed service providers, or MSPs. Those are companies that maintain other organizations’ technology infrastructure.

An MSP is responsible for, among other tasks, securing the accounts with which a client organization’s employees log into business applications. The MSP must also secure its own technicians’ accounts. Historically, those two tasks required a half-dozen different tools. Evo Security says its MSP platform consolidates disparate account security tools into a single product that is easier to set up.

MSPs can use the software to implement multifactor authentication for client organizations’ employees. The  platform also offers single sign-on, a capability that enables users to log into multiple applications using a single set of credentials. The feature removes the need for workers to remember multiple account credentials and thereby reduces password reset tickets.

Many employee login requests are processed using an open-source technology called RADIUS. When a worker signs into an application, RADIUS checks the provided credentials against a database of authorized users and approves or declines the request. Wi-Fi networks, firewalls and numerous other systems rely on RADIUS to perform authentication.

MSPs must set up a separate RADIUS server for each client organization, which can involve a significant amount of work. They subsequently have to maintain those servers. Evo Security’s platform includes a managed RADIUS service that removes the need for MSPs to manage the underlying infrastructure.

Another built-in tool provides just-in-time, or JIT, login capabilities. A JIT mechanism gives users access to sensitive systems for a limited amount of time, which narrows the window in which hackers can launch cyberattacks. MSPs can use the technology to grant technicians temporary access to employee devices for troubleshooting purposes.

Evo says its JIT tool also lends itself to other use cases. MSPs can grant non-technical employees temporary permission to perform tasks that usually require them to open a support ticket, such as installing an application update. That cuts wait times for users and reduces the workload of help desk teams.

“In the agentic AI era, protecting both human and non-human identities is imperative for delivering cyber resilience,” said Barracuda Chief Executive Officer Rohit Ghai. “Existing enterprise identity solutions are complex, costly and fail to meet the needs of MSPs that must scale to securely manage millions of identities across thousands of customer environments.”

Barracuda plans to integrate Evo Security’s technology into its flagship BarracudaONE platform. 

Photo: Barracuda Networks