SonicWall Inc., the network security provider that spun out of Dell Technologies Inc. in 2016, today announced the acquisition of Banyan Security Inc., a provider of edge service security solutions for workforces, to expand its cloud services portfolio.

As more workforces and organizations have shifted to cloud computing, the cybersecurity landscape has become fraught with issues involving more attack surfaces. The edge, where employees connect to networks remotely, has become an increasing vector for attackers to use privileged access enter into networks and exploit vulnerable systems.

With more employees embracing hybrid and remote working from home, virtual offices and cyber cafes, outside devices are also increasingly connecting to critical business applications and complex networks. As a result, attack surfaces have increased dramatically. At the same time, the ways to protect them have become even more problematic since defenses can no longer simply stop attackers at the entry points, and new cybersecurity paradigms to prevent exploits must be embraced.

Founded in 2015, Banyan Security specializes in security service edge, a cybersecurity concept created by Gartner Inc. that combines various network security services like secure web gateways, cloud access security brokers, zero trust network access and firewall-as-a-service into a unified, cloud-based package. SSE is a subset of secure access service edge, which combines networking and security into a single cloud service.

Banyan, unrelated to the now-defunct local-area network software provider Banyan Systems Inc., most recently raised $30 million in a Series B round in January 2022 led by Third Point LLC, bringing its total funding to $47 million. SonicWall did not disclose the amount of the acquisition, which was completed on Dec. 26, other than to say it was larger than the amount of funding Banyan Security had raised.

The purchase will fill out SonicWall’s existing cybersecurity portfolio with zero-trust features that previously had been fulfilled through original equipment manufacturers, said Robert VanKirk, who assumed the chief executive role about 18 months ago. “Right out of the gates, it was very clear that our focus was on rounding out key capabilities both organically and organically,” in managed detection and response, extended detection and response, SSE and zero trust, he said. “We believe this positions us well with an end-to-end solution.”

ZTNA creates an identity or context-based access boundary around applications, so when users log in, they’re hidden from discovery, and access to them is protected by a trust broker. With ZTNA, there is no implicit trust between any given entity and the network. Every time users connect, they’re provided only the permissions they need, and when they’re disconnected, permissions are removed. This makes ZTNA extremely granular and scalable while all but eliminating threats from compromised devices.

SonicWall sells mainly to small and mid-sized customers through channel partners. That market “tends to be led by specific use cases as opposed to somebody asking for an entire SSE architecture,” said Matt Neiderman, SonicWall’s chief strategy officer. “It tends to be led more by a need to replace a legacy [virtual private network] VPN with ZTNA or adding a security web gateway to a virtual firewall,” Neiderman said. SonicWall intends to deliver any and all components of a SASE architecture in hybrid networks where people are moving to the cloud but may still have legacy parts of a local area network security infrastructure.

“If you have a traditional network, but you’re accessing just some applications in the cloud, then a physical firewall may be the easiest solution,” he said. “If you’re more fully migrated to the cloud, then having a total package solution makes sense. We’re providing the flexibility to stay on your cloud journey and use just these components you need.”

SonicWall already offers numerous security and network products, including endpoint, wireless cloud email and threat intelligence. This is the company’s second acquisition in the past three months, following a nearly 10-year hiatus. In November, it acquired Solutions Granted Inc., a maker of managed security services for threat detection and response. With the platform, users get a unified backend for threat visibility and simplified workflows.

The company’s owner, Francisco Partners Management LLC, “has been very supportive of the inorganic and organic areas of focus,” VanKirk said. “You’ll see more from us in inorganic and organic investments that move us towards security as a service and to the cloud edge.”

With reporting by Paul Gillin

Image: Jan Alexander/Pixabay