NETGEAR is making a big bet on the future of business networking by snapping up cybersecurity firm Exium in a deal that’s aimed at reshaping how small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) handle their IT needs. The networking giant just announced that it’s acquiring the secure access service edge (SASE) specialist to create what it calls the first truly integrated networking and security platform built specifically for SMEs and managed service providers.
Riding the SASE wave
The move comes at a perfect time, with Gartner forecasting that the SASE market will grow at a 29% compound annual growth rate, reaching over $25 billion by 2027. Organizations are clearly hungry for cloud-based solutions that can handle both their networking and security headaches in one package.
Once the acquisition wraps up—expected by the end of NETGEAR’s second quarter—Exium’s technology will fold into NETGEAR’s Insight cloud platform. The result will be a unified solution that bundles wired and wireless networking with firewall and security capabilities, all designed to be simple enough for smaller businesses to use without needing a dedicated IT team.
What Exium brings to the table
The Exium team brings serious chops to the table, with solid expertise in building networking and security solutions that have been deployed at scale. Their SASE platform was specifically designed with managed service providers in mind, making it easier for them to onboard their small business clients quickly.
Exium CEO Farooq Khan will stick around to lead the Exium solution while joining NETGEAR’s business leadership team. Khan explains that Exium was built from scratch as a cybersecurity solution targeting small and medium enterprises that often lack comprehensive protection against cyber threats.
“We share a similar vision with NETGEAR and are excited to be joining the team to build a fully integrated network and security solution specially tailored to serve the needs of these customers,” said Khan.
Tackling the AI threat landscape
While neither company shared the price tag, the deal is indicative of NETGEAR’s continued push into cloud-based business solutions, moving beyond its traditional hardware roots to offer the kind of comprehensive, easy-to-manage platforms that today’s businesses need.
“AI has changed the threat landscape for small and medium enterprises as well as larger businesses, but the solutions for SMEs are often too difficult to implement or need to be cobbled onto the network and managed separately,” said Pramod Badjate, president and GM, NETGEAR for Business. “By offering the Exium SASE solution with the goal of integrating it into our Insight cloud management platform, we’ll be able to bring our customers a seamless, single-pane-of-glass solution that is easily deployed and managed by small IT teams or MSPs.”
Revisit why the network security sector first gained attention a few years ago and how MSPs are capitalizing on the latest technologie, such as SASE.