Cisco to acquire startup Valtix to beef up its multi-cloud network security

Few organizations use a single cloud infrastructure vendor, and figuring out how to configure security across multiple clouds can be a challenge for companies. Cisco announced over the weekend that it intends to acquire Valtix, a startup that helps companies secure their environments across multiple clouds.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed, which means it’s not a large enough transaction to have to be reported by a public company.

Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that Cisco was an investor in the company, so has seen the company personnel and the product up close. “As a strategic investor in Valtix since 2020, Cisco supports Valtix’s commitment to simplify network security, protecting workloads no matter which cloud they are created or consumed in,” Cisco security business group SVP and chief product officer Raj Chopra wrote in a blog post announcing the deal.

“With their cloud-native, easy-to-use control plane, they enable customers with common policy and enforcements of networking across all major public cloud environments,” he added.

It’s not hard to see what Cisco likes about this company, especially as it relates to network security in a modern context, an area that Cisco has been trying to get into increasingly as it moves from a pure networking company to one that tries to focus more on software services and the cloud, chiefly through acquisition.

Valtix should fit in with other security company acquisitions in recent years including Duo Security in 2018 and Kenna Security in 2021. Valtix launched in 2020. It raised over $26 million along the way, per Crunchbase, including a $12.5 million Series A in 2021 in which Cisco Investments participated.

The companies expect the deal to close by the end of Q3 FY2023. For context, Cisco most recently announced Q2 FY2023 earnings on February 15th, so that would be by the next quarterly report if there are no roadblocks. Should all go smoothly, Valtix will be folded into Cisco’s security business group upon closing.