Axonius wants to help enterprises manage their fast-growing number of mobile, compute and IoT devices that now use their networks and in the cloud. The idea here is to provide these companies with a single platform that allows them to see which devices are active on their networks and control them. This, in turn, enables enterprises to plug potential security holes. Any uncontrolled device on a network is, after all, a potential gateway for hackers.
To do this, the Tel Aviv-based company has raised a $4 million seed round from YL Ventures, with participation from Vertex Ventures and Emerge Capital.
“We are experiencing a Cambrian-like explosion on our networks,” said YL Ventures managing partner Yoav Leitersdorf. “Mobility, cloud and IoT are creating a near exponential increase in the types and numbers of user, compute and new devices connecting to enterprise networks. With this explosion comes the inherent cyber risk associated with the lack of visibility, security and control.”
While Axonius itself can be quickly deployed on any network, devices need to be integrated through its adapter API and plug-in framework. “Existing solutions will be integrated into Axonius through [the] API. However, Axonius can also see other devices on the network, by utilizing devices that are already connected to it,” Leitersdorf told me. “Part of the genius of Axonius is that it turns any connected machine into a sensor onto itself that can see any device in the network by sniffing network traffic.”
Virtually all enterprises already use endpoint managers and other visibility tools to solve some of the same issues that Axonius is trying to solve. The company, however, argues that it can integrate with all of these existing tools and provide its users a single view into their existing solutions. Ideally, that means security and IT teams will be able to quickly react to potential issues and get a full overview of what’s happening on their networks.
Now out of stealth mode, Axonius is currently in limited availability, with plans for a general release in early 2018.