What they do: Provide security for virtual container environments.
Problem they solve: Virtual containers are catching on – big time – among application developers, but containers also introduce new security risks. These risks, if left unaddressed, can degrade or even negate the many business benefits containers offer.
According to Docker, there are approximately 1 billion container image pulls from the Docker Hub every 6 weeks, meaning this is a risk that is already big . . . and growing.
Compared to Virtual Machines (VMs), containers have much leaner system requirements allowing developers to put two to three times as many applications on a single server than they could with VMs. Additionally, containers create a portable, consistent operating environment for development, testing, and deploying enterprise applications, lending itself to a DevOps-driven, Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) application delivery model.
However, like all new technologies, containers present unique security challenges. Furthermore, the fast-paced DevOps process that is often behind container deployments and the inclusion of many open source components require tight governance of the process from the development phase and beyond.
How they solve it: The Aqua Container Security Platform provides visibility into and control over containerized environments, protecting applications with tight runtime security controls and granular prevention capabilities, at any scale.
Backed by $38.5M in funding, #Big50-2017 #startup Aqua Security protects virtual container environments. Click To TweetAqua employs a layered security model to automate and simplify container security. It sanitizes container inflow, provides intelligent defaults, and uses behavioral analytics to whitelist legitimate behavior and minimize false positives. The platform also contains features to simplify auditing and compliance.
Headquarters: Ramat Gan, Israel and Boston, MA
CEO: Dror Davidoff. Before co-founding Aqua in 2015, Davidoff was head of global sales of database security products at McAfee (now Intel Security). Prior to that, he was EVP of Sales and Business Development at Sentrigo.
Year Founded: 2015
Funding: $38.5 million in total funding. The most recent round was a $25 million Series B, which closed in September 2017.
Lightspeed Venture Partners led the round and was joined by existing investors Microsoft Ventures, TLV Partners, and angel investor Shlomo Kramer.
Competitors include: ThreatStack, Evident.io, CloudPassage, and Twistlock.
Why they’re in the Big 50-2017: Aqua Security did well in Big50-2017 online voting, and considering how young this market niche is, a $25 million Series B is a huge haul for a container startup.
451 Research predicts that the application container market will grow from $762 million in 2016 to $2.7 billion by 2020. Aqua Security has entered this market early, has a strong leadership team, and now has a sizable war chest at its disposal as it carves out its niche in this space.
