Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Subscribe
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Subscribe
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity

    Cradlepoint Raises $89M to Advance Overlay Network Security

    Written by

    Sean Michael Kerner
    Published March 9, 2017
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Cloud-based networking services vendor Cradlepoint announced today that it has raised a new $89 million Series C round of funding, to help grow it efforts to secure organizations and enable managed wireless access.

      The new round of funding was led by TCV, and brings total funding to date for the company up to $142 million. The basic premise behind Cradlepoint is that it uses its NetCloud cloud-managed network together with physical networking hardware, to help enable a secure networking overlay for organizations and their devices. A core element of Cradlepoint’s approach is using wireless 4G/LTE technology.

      “We make 4G LTE into an enterprise-grade WAN (Wide Area Network),” George Mulhern, CEO and Chairman of the Board at Cradlepoint, told eWEEK. “With this new investment, we want to stay ahead of the curve as the market moves to 5G and more software defined networking approaches.”

      The idea of using a cloud-managed network overlay approach to help secure connectivity isn’t an idea that is unique to Cradlepoint. Multiple companies, including Cato Networks, which raised $30 million in a Series B funding in September 2016, are also chasing the market opportunity. Mulhern sees his company as being differentiated in the market with its existing 4G LTE wireless capabilities that can help to enable secure connectivity for people, places and things.

      Mulhern explained that Cradlepoint has a cloud managed routing platform for branches, vehicles and other IoT applications, that has been tuned to help optimize 4G LTE use. Cradlepoint currently has a Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) architecture for access and is also building a Software Defined Perimeter (SDP) approach to help secure people and things. SDP is a network security approach that is being defined by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA).

      Ryan Allphin CTO at Cradlepoint explained that his company is using a network overlay, that is a form of network encapsulation on top of an existing organization’s networking structure, to enable a broader WAN, with improved security characteristics. Allphin explained that Cradlepoint’s router gateways can be used to help create overlay networks across different devices and Local Area Networks (LANs). The Cradlepoint system can also perform what is known as service injection into the overlay network, enabling organizations to do additional analysis or to perform various security functions.

      From a security perspective, Allphin said that Cradlepoint has firewall and Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) capabilities on the physical network hardware. On the overlay network, Cradlepoint provides an extensible platform where third party security vendors can plug in, to provide additional capabilities.

      “We’re not a pure play security vendor, we’re more of a network orchestrator,” Allphin told eWEEK. “We provide an extensible overlay platform that security vendors can talk to, based on the need.”

      While Cradlepoint doesn’t bill itself as a pure play security vendor, there is a strong access control element in the platform today, with more to come in the future. Allphin explained that Cradlepoint has Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), for access onto the network. As part of the network admission process, Cradlepoint will identify a given device, as well as the capabilities of the device.

      The idea of a pre-admission control is often part of what is known in the industry as Network Access Control (NAC). Allphin noted that Cradlepoint’s NAC capabilities are currently rudimentary, but the new funding will be used to help expand the feature set.

      “We give organizations visibility into what types of devices are connecting to a network and what applications are being used,” Allphin said. “Visibility is the first step in security.”

      Allphin added that as IoT grows and more things are getting connected Cradlepoint can also help organizations to identify whether device behavior is normal, or if it is potentially malicious.

      “We can show enterprises at a branch level if something odd is going on that they need to pay attention to,” Allphin said.

      Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at eWEEK and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.

      Sean Michael Kerner
      Sean Michael Kerner
      Sean Michael Kerner is an Internet consultant, strategist, and writer for several leading IT business web sites.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.