Tech giant Cisco Systems is reportedly in advanced negotiations to acquire the cybersecurity firm Axonius in a deal valued at $2 billion. However, the New York-based startup has moved quickly to dismiss the reports, reaffirming its commitment to remaining an independent entity.
The Acquisition Rumors
The potential deal was first brought to light by the Israeli tech news outlet Calcalist. If the acquisition were to proceed at the rumored $2 billion price tag, it would sit below the $2.6 billion valuation Axonius achieved during its most recent funding round in 2024.
Despite the specific details circulating in the media, Axonius issued a firm statement to CRN:
“Axonius is not in talks to be acquired by Cisco. Our strategy is to build a durable, independent company… That is where our attention is.”
Cisco has yet to officially comment on the reports.
Why Cisco is Interested
The reported interest aligns with Cisco’s aggressive push to dominate the security and observability space. Axonius, founded in 2017 by veterans of the Israel Defense Forces, specializes in Asset Management and Cyber Asset Attack Surface Management (CAASM).
Their “Asset Cloud” platform offers several key advantages for a giant like Cisco:
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Unified Visibility: It provides a single cloud-based view of devices, identities, SaaS applications, and infrastructure.
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Intelligent Action: The platform allows security teams to manage and secure complex corporate networks that are increasingly fragmented.
Part of a Larger Pattern
The rumors come at a time of high M&A activity for Cisco. In the last five months alone, the company has closed multiple security deals, including the August acquisition of Aura Asset Intelligence. Integrating Axonius would further solidify Cisco’s ability to offer comprehensive data observability and risk intelligence to its enterprise clients.