Fortinet Acquires Data Security Startup Next DLP

The cybersecurity vendor says the move will bolster its Unified SASE platform.

Fortinet on Tuesday announced it’s looking to bolster its SASE platform with the acquisition of data security startup Next DLP.

Terms of the acquisition, which was completed as of Monday, were not disclosed.

With the acquisition of Next DLP—which CRN had named one of the 10 Hottest Cybersecurity Startups Of 2023—Fortinet said it will enhance its Unified SASE (secure access service edge) offering as well as “improve its position in the standalone enterprise data loss prevention (DLP) market.”

Next DLP offers a platform for spotting insider risk while also detecting exfiltration of data and data loss, using a software agent that delivers a minimal impact to CPU performance and worker productivity.

Last fall, Next DLP announced the expansion of its Reveal Platform to cover generative AI tools including Hugging Face, Bard, Claude and several others, in addition to ChatGPT.

In a news release, Fortinet CEO Ken Xie said that integrating Next DLP will “significantly strengthen our data loss prevention capabilities,” with benefits including better enablement for customers around management of insider risk.

Next DLP CEO Connie Stack is quoted in the release as saying that the integration of Next DLP’s technology with Fortinet’s platform will “extend the reach of our leading data security solutions to organizations worldwide.”

The deal comes less than a week after Fortinet announced it had completed its acquisition of former security unicorn Lacework. Fortinet has emphasized the integration of Lacework’s cloud security capabilities into its Unified SASE offering.

Lacework had previously achieved a valuation of $8.3 billion achieved in 2021, though Forrester analysts estimated the Lacework acquisition deal at between $200 million and $230 million. Fortinet declined to provide terms for that deal.