2016 Security 100: 25 Coolest Network Security Vendors

Coolest Network Security Vendors

When it comes to a company's security strategy, network security has undergone a major evolution with the advent of next-generation technologies. The inaugural CRN Security 100 list includes network security vendors that offer next-generation firewalls, Internet of Things security, network visibility, cloud security and more. There are both long-standing legacy vendors as well as hot new startups, fresh off new rounds of funding. There's plenty of opportunity for all, with 75 percent of CIOs looking to increase security investments and with 88 percent of them prioritizing network security, according to a study by Piper Jaffray. Take a look at 25 of the coolest network security vendors that might benefit from that bump.

Barracuda Networks

William "BJ" Jenkins, CEO

Headquarters: Campbell, Calif.

Barracuda Networks offers a range of networks security solutions as part of its broad portfolio, including next-generation firewalls and SSL VPN. It also offers Web, data and server security solutions. The past year saw a lot of change for Barracuda, with the September acquisition of Intronis and a new partner program.

Bastille

Chris Risley, CEO

Headquarters: Atlanta

Bastille has blasted into the market, armed with $9 million in Series A funding and a plan to be the first cybersecurity company to secure the Internet of Things. Planned to be generally available in early 2016, Bastille's solution will detect and mitigate threats from IoT using security sensors, software and airborne emission detection.

BeyondTrust

Kevin Hickey, CEO

Headquarters: Phoenix

BeyondTrust focuses on the privileged account management market, providing a way for companies to regulate employee and contractor access to critical data and systems across mobile, cloud, the network and more. BeyondTrust recently launched a formal sales and technical enablement program for its partners.

Cato Networks

Shlomo Kramer, Co-Founder, CEO

Headquarters: Tel Aviv, Israel

One of the youngest startups on the Security 100 list, Cato Networks just launched into the market this year with a Network Security-as-a-Service platform that it says will shake up the perception that security has to be complicated. Founded by renowned security investor Shlomo Kramer, it also landed $20 million in VC funding.

Check Point Software Technologies

Gil Shwed, Founder, CEO

Headquarters: Tel Aviv, Israel

A stalwart of the network security market, Check Point Software Technologies has been evolving its platform in recent months to focus on threat prevention. That's a key transition for the Israeli company, President Amnon Bar-Lev told CRN, as it becomes important for companies to expand protection across an expanding environment.

Cisco Systems

Chuck Robbins, CEO

Headquarters: San Jose, Calif.

Cisco has been getting serious about its security practice over the past year, launching a series of new products, including a next-generation firewall offering. The networking giant also made acquisitions in the space, including cloud security company OpenDNS and threat analysis and protection company Lancope.

CyberArk

Udi Mokady, President, CEO

Headquarters: Petach-Tikva, Israel

Many of the recent mega data breaches making headlines have involved privilege abuse. CyberArk is looking to prevent this with privileged account management solutions to protect data, applications and infrastructure. The demand for this type of solution is clear, with the company posting double-digit revenue growth in recent quarters.

Fireglass

Guy Guzner, Founder, CEO

Headquarters: New York

Fireglass launched from stealth this year with a goal to help companies get ahead of attackers instead of reacting to them. The startup offers an enterprise network security solution designed to isolate Web activity, acting as an "air gap" between potential attacks from Web, email, files, endpoint and applications.

Forcepoint

John McCormack, CEO

Headquarters: Austin, Texas

Formed by the convergence of a Raytheon division, Websense and two McAfee firewall lines, Forcepoint launched into the market in January with a vision for a unified security platform called Triton. The platform includes security solutions for next-generation firewall, endpoint, data security, email, Web security, cloud and more.

ForeScout Technologies

Michael DeCesare, CEO

Headquarters: Cupertino, Calif.

ForeScout Technologies looks to capitalize on the exploding IoT market, providing an agentless visibility and enforcement security solution for all connected devices. The company has been on a rapid growth trajectory, growing an average of 50 percent year over year and hitting a $1 billion valuation with the announcement of $76 million in funding.

Fortinet

Ken Xie, Founder, Chairman, CEO

Headquarters: Sunnyvale, Calif.

Fortinet has been investing big in its wide-reaching security platform, which centers on a robust network security portfolio. The company expanded into the secure enterprise wireless market in 2015 with its acquisition of Meru Networks and has been bolstering its channel partners with increased marketing efforts.

Gigamon

Paul Hooper, CEO

Headquarters: Santa Clara, Calif.

Gigamon is all about visibility, with its Gigamon Visibility Fabric providing active visibility into network traffic, including metadata, applications and encrypted traffic. That high level of visibility, combined with the company's security delivery platform GigaSecure, helps companies detect threats and have a more effective security strategy overall.

Hillstone Networks

Dongping Luo, CEO

Headquarters (U.S.): Sunnyvale, Calif.

Hillstone Networks offers a next-generation network security portfolio for the enterprise and data center networks that extends from the perimeter down to the virtual machine, across cloud, physical and virtual environments. Instead of relying on signatures, the company's firewall solutions use behavioral analytics and deep application awareness technologies.

Illusive Networks

Shlomo Touboul, CEO

Headquarters: Tel Aviv, Israel

Illusive Networks is breaking its way into the emerging market for deception technologies. Its Deception Everywhere solution turns the tables on bad actors by installing decoy data to root out attackers already in the environment. The company hired its first channel chief this year to align sales toward a partner-first approach.

Juniper Networks

Rami Rahim, CEO

Headquarters: Sunnyvale, Calif.

Juniper Networks is another one of the networking giants with its foot in the security world, offering firewall, advanced threat protection and security management solutions. The solutions are aimed at the enterprise and service providers.

Palo Alto Networks

Mark McLaughlin, CEO

Headquarters: Santa Clara, Calif.

As some other large security vendors have faltered, Palo Alto Networks has continued to grow, propelled by its next-generation security platform and channel-first approach. The company started with its popular next-generation firewall offering, but has since expanded to include threat intelligence, threat detection, endpoint security and application security.

ProtectWise

Scott Chasin, Co-Founder, CEO

Headquarters: Denver

ProtectWise enables visibility and threat detection in the cloud with its Cloud Network DVR, a solution that acts as a "virtual camera" to record all of the activity on the network. By shifting network security to the cloud, ProtectWise says it can provide full forensic capabilities, visualization and cost savings.

Resilient Systems

John Bruce, Co-Founder, CEO

Headquarters: Cambridge, Mass.

IBM said in late February that it planned to acquire Resilient Systems, whose flagship Incident Response Platform helps companies automate and optimize their incident response process in the event of a cyberincident. The platform provides action plans and best practices, as well as helping security professionals collaborate their response. The company has a wide partner network, with more than 50 partners around the globe.

Skybox

Gidi Cohen, Founder, CEO

Headquarters: San Jose, Calif.

By integrating more than 90 networks and security tools and using tools such as analytics, modeling and simulation, Skybox provides the visibility an enterprise needs to help executives make informed security spending decisions and shore up weak spots before an attack. It recently landed $96 million in funding.

Tempered Networks

Jeff Hussey, Co-Founder, President, CEO

Headquarters: Seattle

Tempered Networks started more than a decade ago as a technology dedicated for airplane manufacturer Boeing. Now commercialized, it allows for the micro segmentation of single-purpose systems using host identity protocols and hardened switch appliances as a way to "cloak" the endpoints and networks. It recently launched its first formal channel program.

TitanHQ

Ronan Kavanagh, CEO

Headquarters: Tampa, Fla.

TitanHQ is all about making network security easy for SMBs all the way up to ISPs. The company offers a range of solutions for Web, email and archiving. Most recently, it unveiled WebTitan Cloud for Wi-Fi, a cloud-based Wi-Fi security solution for MSPs.

Unisys

Peter Altabef, CEO

Headquarters: Blue Bell, Pa.

Unisys is a solution provider giant, sitting at No. 19 on the 2015 CRN Solution Provider 500 list. The company also has a robust security portfolio, including its Stealth portfolio of software-defined solutions for data center, cloud, and mobile. The solution uses micro segmentation to make data and endpoints "invisible" to unauthorized users.

vArmour

Timothy Eades, CEO

Headquarters: Mountain View, Calif.

As perimeter protections continue to prove fallible, vArmour is moving into the data center itself. Specializing in multicloud environments, the company's solution wraps protection around each workload, providing visibility, enforcing segmentation and securing a customer's data. vArmour expanded its channel program in 2015, launching the vArmour Invited Partners global partner program.

Versa Networks

Kumar Mehta, Founder, CEO

Headquarters: Bangalore, India

Launched by two former Juniper Networks executives, Versa Networks provides what it calls the first true software-defined security solution, using network function virtualization technology. The networking and security startup provides next-generation WAN and branch solutions for service providers and enterprises, with its service provider offerings being sold 100 percent through the channel.

WatchGuard

Prakash Panjwani, CEO

Headquarters: Seattle

WatchGuard has a range of network security solutions geared toward the SME market, including next-generation firewalls, unified threat management, secure wireless and virtual solutions. In 2015, the company appointed new top-level leadership, including new CEO Prakash Panjwani, who said one of his priorities was to strengthen the company's channel program.