www.sdxcentral.com /articles/news/verizon-exec-launches-privafy-challenges-firewall-sd-wan-vpn-vendors/2020/01/Verizon Exec Launches Privafy, Challenges Firewall, SD-WAN, VPN Vendors - SDxCentral
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Privafy, a security startup founded by former Verizon executive Guru Pai and NXP Semiconductors CEO Rick Clemmer, launched today with $22 million in funding and nearly a dozen paying customers, according to Pai. Its platform integrates a host of security services as the company looks to win market share from firewall vendors like Palo Alto Networks and SD-WAN providers including VMware’s VeloCloud.
Privafy claims its cloud-native product secures data in motion as it moves across networks, private and public clouds, and mobile and IoT devices. It does this by integrating the capabilities of several point products — encryption systems, virtual private networks (VPNs), firewalls, distributed denial of service (DDoS) protection, intrusion detection and prevention systems, data loss prevention, and deep content inspection technologies.
“What Privafy decided to do is take the essence of those functions and put them in the cloud to make it a cloud-native service that fits an internet model that has simple APIs for people to use, integrate, and operate,” CEO Guru Pai said. This “not only increases and enhances the security of data in motion, but also completely and materially changes the cost structure and the efficacy of that to make it really easy to use and very, very inexpensive to own and operate.”
Pai said the company has a “little under a dozen paying” customers as well as “a lot of people who are in beta that we expect to convert” to paying customers in the upcoming weeks. Vizio is one of these paying customers. In the future, Privafy expects to sell its product to managed service providers and managed security services providers. It’s also “working with some of the largest service providers,” Pai added. This isn’t surprising considering he held several senior roles at Verizon before co-founding Privafy. And before that, he held executive positions at Sonus Networks, AT&T/Bell Labs, and Motorola.
Privafy’s ProductRight now, most of its customers use Privafy to augment their existing security tools. But because it integrates with a host of security capabilities, customers using Privacy’s product don’t need a traditional firewall, or SD-WAN, or VPN, or encryption service, Pai said.
This means it can replace “key firewall companies like Palo Alto,” as well as web security firms like Zscaler, and SD-WAN vendors like VMware’s VeloCloud, in addition to other point security products, Pai said. “We provide a one-stop-shop for people.”
And about the name, which rhymes with magnify: “It wasn’t so much we felt everything had to be secured, but the real need was for enterprises to keep their information and their customer’s information private,” Pai said.
Privafy’s product has three primary pieces: NetEdge, which protects the network’s data in motion; AppEdge for mobile and remote devices; and CloudEdge, to secure cloud applications. A single dashboard called PrivafyCentral manages these three parts.
Along with protecting against cyberattacks such as malware, DDoS, botnets, and ransomware, the security service also includes a proprietary Absolute Encryption technology that defends against man-in-the-middle or snooping attacks and protects against endpoint cloning. Plus, the vendor’s Impervious Firewall technology provides dynamic perimeter security with fine-grain rules for inbound and outbound traffic, as well as deep content inspection to prevent data loss and malware screening.
In addition to launching the company, Privafy also today announced it received $22 million in minority |
