Knowledge Is Power

Companies placed big bets on securing networks and endpoints and managing employee and customer access in the first half of 2021, with seven of the period‘s 10 biggest acquisitions focused around these technology areas.

Private equity goliaths, special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) and pure-play security mainstays collectively agreed to spend nearly $31 billion on the year‘s most significant deals, scooping up nearly 12,500 employees from an assortment of legacy firms and late-stage startups.

One of the acquired entities was founded in the 1980s, one was founded in the 1990s, four were established in the 2000s, three set up shop in the 2010s, and one was formed in the 2020s. Four of the acquired companies are based in Silicon Valley, three are based in the Washington D.C. area, two are headquartered in Seattle, and one is in South Florida.

Six of the acquisitions were consummated by private equity firms, three were carried out by SPACs, and one was completed by a pure-play security vendor. Purchase price information was obtained from company press releases or from third-party reports like Momentum Cyber or PE Hub. Here’s a look at the biggest 10 cybersecurity acquisitions impacting the channel so far in 2021.

 For more of the biggest startups, products and news stories of 2021 so far, click here.