The rapid spread of connected devices is making it difficult for companies to keep track of all the hardware linked to their networks, which creates blind spots that can be exploited by a determined attacker. Fortunately, this threat is emerging as a growing priority for cybersecurity providers.

Among them is Armis Inc., a stealth startup headquartered in Palo Alto that broke cover today to announce that it has a closed a $17 million funding round. The financing was provided by Tenaya Capital and Sequoia Capital’s Gili Ranaan, who has something of a shared history with the firm’s founding team. He previously led an investment in document security provider Adallom Technologies Ltd., where Armis Chief Executive Yevgeny Dibrov served as head of business development.

Dibrov’s new startup has a high bar to meet: Adallom was acquired by Microsoft Corp. for $320 million. Armis hopes to make its mark with a security platform designed to give companies insight into the connected devices that access their infrastructure. The firm doesn’t want to give away too much before the official launch later this month, but the funding announcement did divulge a few key details.

Armis claims that its platform provides the ability to “see and control any device or network” thanks to a so-called “agentless” monitoring mechanism. This means that the software looks for signs of malicious activity in network traffic rather than installing a local data collection program on each endpoint or device. The advantage is that its algorithms can scan hardware outside the direct control of the information technology department, such as personal devices brought into the office by employees.

Cisco Systems Inc. and ForeScout Technologies Inc. offer similar features in their respective network protection products. One way Armis might be trying to set its product apart is by using some form of artificial intelligence to give the underlying threat detection algorithms an edge. AI appears in the sales pitch of practically every security startup that raises funding nowadays to take on the old guard.

Besides Sequoia, Armis’ newly announced round saw the participation of several key figures from the breach prevention market. Among them were serial entrepreneurs Mickey Boodaei and Rene Bonvanie, the head of marketing at publicly traded firewall maker Palo Alto Networks Inc.

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