SAN JOSE, Calif. — On August 1, 2016, Cisco completed its acquisition of CloudLock, Inc., a privately-held cloud security company headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.

CloudLock specializes in cloud access security broker (CASB) technology. CASB technology understands and monitors user behavior and sensitive data in cloud applications. It helps secure cloud applications that customers buy — SaaS applications such as Google Drive, Salesforce, and Box — as well as the applications that they build like IaaS and PaaS platforms. With these capabilities added to the Cisco security portfolio, Cisco will be able to provide customers with greater visibility, compliance and threat protection regardless of whether the applications are fully sanctioned by IT or not.

Q: Why did Cisco choose CloudLock?

A: CloudLock enables Cisco to further develop its cloud security portfolio. Our acquisition of OpenDNS in July 2015 helped broaden our dedicated cloud security portfolio last year. CloudLock extends Cisco's cloud security umbrella to the apps that customers can buy (SaaS) and the apps that customers can build (IaaS, PaaS). CloudLock and Cisco share the same mission: build powerful security solutions that are easy to deploy and simple to manage.

 

Q: Can you explain CloudLock's portfolio?

A: CloudLock offers a subscription-based model that gives companies much-needed visibility and control over user behavior and sensitive data that their employees may be sharing on cloud services organizations buy (SaaS) and build (IaaS, PaaS). Customers purchase the CloudLock Cloud Security Fabric based on the number of application they want to protect.

 

Q: What market problem does this acquisition address?

A: As enterprises move to the cloud, their data leaves the enterprise and their user activity occurs outside the network perimeter. This presents risks as sensitive information can be shared or stolen, and cloud-based user accounts can be compromised. To solve for this problem, organizations need to implement CASB solutions for their cloud apps, both the ones they buy and the ones they build.

 

Q: What is unique about CloudLock?

A: CloudLock uses a unique cloud-first, API-first approach to cloud security. CloudLock's platform is comprised of a number of Microservices which expose its full functional capabilities through its user interface or can be easily embedded in additional applications. Key competitive differentiators include:

• Cloud-Native: CloudLock can be deployed within 60 seconds, helping customers obtain full value instantly, without any disruption to the end-users.
• Broadest cloud coverage: CloudLock's capabilities are available for apps that you buy (SaaS) and build (IaaS, PaaS).
• Deepest app coverage: CloudLock inspects data in near-real time as well as retroactively from the time that a cloud service was first deployed, even before CloudLock is initially activated. CloudLock also monitors and controls cloud-to-cloud usage, i.e. usage that doesn't involve any human interaction programmatically.
• Most scalable platform: CloudLock has an installed base of subscription-based, paying customers with 700 organizations. CloudLock's largest customer monitors hundreds of thousands users daily. Overall, more than 1 billion data points are monitored daily.
• Cloud Cyber-Intelligence: CloudLock has the most cyber intelligence related to cloud security research in the industry. Its CyberLab continuously unveils new research which is complemented by crowd-sourced community trust ratings and CloudLock's groundbreaking machine learning technology.

CloudLock Customers and Partners
If you are an existing customer or partner of CloudLock and have questions about your product or service, please continue to contact your existing CloudLock sales representative.

Cisco Customers and Partners
If you are an existing customer or partner of Cisco and have questions about your product or services, please continue to contact your existing Cisco sales representative.

CloudLock customers should continue to use the existing process for support on installed CloudLock technology. Cisco will notify you in advance of any change to the support process.

CloudLock cloud cybersecurity is a powerful enabler for people and businesses. CloudLock extends Cisco’s cloud security portfolio to the apps, built or bought. In a simple, open, automated and effective way, customers gain visibility and control in how they manage information in the cloud. Together, Cisco and CloudLock will offer the industry’s broadest cloud security protection for users, apps, and data across sanctioned and unsanctioned apps.

The acquisition of CloudLock allows our partners to realize the benefits of the mobile-cloud era by providing more innovation for you to take to market. This means that we can offer customers greater security in their business applications, critical infrastructure, and security networks in the cloud. Together, Cisco and CloudLock will help partners drive incremental profitability and revenue.

Partners are critical to our success. Stay tuned for more information. Any questions please contact your Security Partner Account Manager.

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