Palo Alto Networks, the network security firm, said that it is acquiring Israeli cloud security firm Bridgecrew. The deal will be made in cash and is worth $156 million. The announcement was made on Tuesday morning and marks the seventh acquisition of an Israeli company by Palo Alto Networks.
Israel is known as a hotbed for advanced cybersecurity firms, which could explain this streak of acquisitions.
Palo Alto Networks said that the deal will help it build security into products earlier. Of particular interest, is the company’s Palo Alto Prisma Cloud. It will become what the company calls the first cloud security platform covering the entire lifecycle of software (from building to running.)
‘Shift-Left’
Bridgecrew is the company that pioneered a technique called ‘Shift Left,’ where developers and DevOps teams enforce infrastructure security standards during the app’s development. It is also focused on ‘infrastructure as code,’ where infrastructure is configured during app development.
Nikesh Arora, the CEO at Palo Alto Networks, says that Shift Left is a must-have in any cloud security platform.
For Arora, this will benefit Prisma Cloud customers who will be able to enjoy having foundational cloud security embedded into their infrastructure.
A good deal for all
Bridgecrew first released its open-source infrastructure-as-code scanner, called Checkov, in 2020. Since then, it has been downloaded more than 1 million times. The company raised $18 million, including a Series A round of $14 million last April.
The backers are sure to get healthy returns (9-10 times their initial investment) in this deal.
Palo Alto also announced yesterday, a product update for remote workers, to integrate better security, management, and performance features, into Prisma Access. Most companies are investing in technologies that will gain them the most, in the new age of digital transformation.
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