Palo Alto Networks To Acquire Secure Web Browser Startup Talon
The acquisition is the second for the cybersecurity giant within the past week.
Talon founders Ohad Bobrov (left) and Ofer Ben-Noon
Palo Alto Networks announced Monday its second startup acquisition deal within a week, with an agreement to acquire secure web browser provider Talon Cyber Security.
The deal follows Palo Alto Networks’ Oct. 31 announcement that it plans to acquire cloud data security startup Dig Security.
[Related: Palo Alto Networks Eyes Two Startup Acquisitions Totaling Up To $1B: Reports]
The pair of acquisition deals end an 11-month period without any M&A activity by the cybersecurity giant. Under CEO Nikesh Arora, Palo Alto Networks has completed 14 acquisitions since his arrival in June 2018. The planned acquisitions of Dig Security and Talon are set to bring that number to 16.
As with the Dig Security deal, Palo Alto Networks did not disclose terms of its acquisition agreement with Talon. TechCrunch reported that the Talon deal is worth $625 million.
The site had earlier reported a $400 million acquisition price for Dig, confirmed by a source close to the deal, which would bring the total amount reportedly spent by Palo Alto Networks for the two startups to more than $1 billion.
The company said that Talon’s technology will be incorporated into its fast-growing secure access service edge platform, Prisma SASE. Talon offers a secure Chromium-based web browser, aimed at helping to protect organizations with hybrid environments.
The startup has raised more than $126 million in funding, most recently closing a $100 million Series A round in August 2022. Talon was among just a handful of venture-backed startups to be named by CRN to its Security 100 list for 2023.
Tel Aviv, Israel-based Talon was founded in 2021 by CEO Ofer Ben-Noon and CTO Ohad Bobrov. The pair of founders will “continue leading their teams when they join the Prisma SASE team at Palo Alto Networks after closing,” Palo Alto Networks said in a news release.
In the release, Palo Alto Networks Chief Product Officer Lee Klarich pointed to the widespread use of SaaS and web-based applications, often through the browser, in modern organizations.
“Talon enables organizations to secure all work activity via an Enterprise Browser, without touching the personal usage of the device or impacting user privacy,” Klarich said. “Integrating Talon with Prisma SASE will enable Palo Alto Networks to securely connect all users and devices to all applications, including private applications, and apply consistent security no matter who the user is and what device they use for work.”
The acquisition deal for Talon was reached amid the deepening war between Hamas and Israel, following the attacks on the country by Hamas — considered a terrorist group by the U.S. — a month ago.
Klarich said in the release that the deal “underscores our continued belief in the strength of the Israeli cybersecurity ecosystem and our commitment to our growing team in Israel.”