Article Title: Proofpoint’s $1.8 Billion Acquisition of Hornetsecurity Enhances SMB Cybersecurity
Proofpoint, Inc., a leader in human-centric cybersecurity, has completed the acquisition of Hornetsecurity Group for $1.8 billion. This strategic move significantly bolsters Proofpoint’s presence in the small and mid-sized business (SMB) sector through managed service provider (MSP) channels, providing advanced threat protection to smaller organizations facing increasing AI-targeted attacks.
The acquisition aligns with Proofpoint’s mission to secure the agentic workspace, where humans and AI agents collaborate across email, cloud applications, and collaboration tools. Hornetsecurity’s platform serves over 125,000 customers through more than 12,000 MSPs and partners, primarily in Europe, filling a critical gap in Proofpoint’s portfolio.
Hornetsecurity’s flagship product, 365 Total Protection, offers comprehensive Microsoft 365 safeguards, including email security, data backup, compliance, awareness training, and access controls. This multi-tenant dashboard is tailored for MSPs, eliminating the need for fragmented tools and enabling scalable protection without added complexity.
Sumit Dhawan, CEO of Proofpoint, emphasized the synergy between the two companies:
We’re thrilled to officially welcome Hornetsecurity to Proofpoint and further our mission to protect the emerging agentic workspace for customers of every size. Together, we will extend our human and agent-centric security leadership to safeguard people, AI agents, and data.
Hornetsecurity will operate as a dedicated business unit within Proofpoint, led by founder Daniel Hofmann as executive vice president and general manager. His team will retain control over product innovation and partner strategies, ensuring seamless service for existing users while leveraging Proofpoint’s global threat intelligence.
Hofmann highlighted the partnership’s potential:
Joining Proofpoint marks a new chapter… our combined capabilities, shared threat intelligence, and aligned vision will drive a new level of innovation and value for our partners and customers globally.
Hornetsecurity boasts nearly $200 million in annual recurring revenue, growing 20% year over year. The deal underscores Proofpoint’s commitment to the European market and enhances its ability to counter sophisticated threats such as business email compromise (BEC) attacks, which Proofpoint already mitigates millions of times annually for 83% of Fortune 100 firms.
