Zscaler Reconfigures with Cloudneeti Deal
Zscaler Inc., the cloud security specialist, has expanded its capabilities to fix infrastructure and other platform misconfigurations via its acquisition of Cloudneeti, a move that allows the buyer to extend its data protection for software services applications to public cloud workloads.
Cloudneeti specializes in self-service “workload assurance” along with standard security and compliance validations. Based in Redmond, Wash., the startup was founded in 2017 by Gururaj Pandurangi.
Zscaler (NASDAQ: ZS) did not disclose terms of the acquisition. The transaction is expected to close by the end of May.
The cloud-based data security firm said Thursday (April 9) it would integrate Cloudneeti’s “security posture management” tools into its existing cloud security platform. The result will be expanded data protection capabilities, many required due to application misconfigurations associated with software, infrastructure and platform service rollouts.
Security breaches and compliance violations “are caused by entirely preventable misconfiguration as applications move to the cloud,” Pandurangi said.
San Jose-based Zscaler said the acquisition also would extend to public cloud workloads the capabilities of its data security framework for software service application via its Cloud Access Security Broker Platform. The combination also would supplement Zscaler’s application security tools designed to allow developers to detect and fix misconfigured apps and compliance violations as they are deployed in public clouds.
Accounting for the steady enterprise migration of applications and data storage to public clouds, Zscaler added that the new misconfiguration detection capabilities would also bolster its data protections across app types, locations and users. That capability would prevent data loss while complying with data privacy rules such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation.
The cloud application monitor provides visibility into data governance compliance on public clouds, including Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure.
Zscaler gained U.S. approval in 2018 for its cloud application access platform that eliminates the need to place mobile users on a network in order to connect their device to applications. The approach, based on a secure network architecture known “Zero Trust,” is also designed to eliminate risks associated with unmanaged devices while reducing the threat of unauthorized access.
In February, the security vendor released an enterprise Internet of Things survey revealing an “exponential” increase in malware attacks on vulnerable IoT networks. Zscaler said it detected about 14,000 IoT-based malware exploits per month, a seven-fold increase over the previous year.
