STG launches Skyhigh Security

Symphony Technology Group (STG), a leading Menlo Park-based private equity firm focused on the software, data, and analytics sectors, has launched Skyhigh Security, said a press release from the company.

The new portfolio company has been created to satisfy the growing cloud security requirements for large and small organisations. Skyhigh Security’s unique approach extends security beyond data access to securing how the data is used, it said. “Its data-aware Security Service Edge (SSE) is built to meet the needs of the modern workforce with security that follows the data and users wherever they are.”

“Skyhigh Security has emerged as a dedicated cloud security company that is laser-focused on propelling businesses forward with a comprehensive and converged approach to data security,” said William Chisholm, managing partner, STG. “We’re committed to investing in this business, which is in one of the most important markets in security, SSE.”

Earlier this year, STG announced it would be splitting McAfee Enterprise into two organisations—Trellix and Skyhigh Security—to better focus on the very distinct markets of Extended Detection and Response (XDR) and the SSE.  At that time STG also announced that Gee Rittenhouse, who previously led Cisco’s cyber security business, would serve as CEO of the SSE business, bringing deep cloud security expertise.

“With the majority of data in the cloud and users accessing it from everywhere, a new approach to security is needed,” said Rittenhouse. “Skyhigh Security has created a comprehensive security platform to secure both data access and data use via unified policies and data awareness. Organisations can now have complete visibility and control and seamlessly monitor and mitigate security risks—achieving lower associated costs, driving greater efficiencies and keeping pace with the speed of innovation.”

“Organisations are at a crossroads navigating the hybrid workforce,” said Frank Dickson, vice president, IDC. “While the ‘work from anywhere’ model creates flexibility and agility, it can also be a point of security vulnerability, challenging perimeters and endpoints and opening new attack surfaces in the cloud. These organisations need a best-in-class cloud-native solution that simplifies the implementation of cloud security to protect data regardless of where it lies.”

“Protecting the way data is used is as important as the way data is accessed—we must implement a powerful data-centric defence to meet the demands of how work is conducted today,” said Dan Meacham, chief information security officer, Legendary Entertainment. “Skyhigh Security’s platform approach is completely integrated and simple to use. With over 10 years focus on cloud security, they are a pioneer in the SSE space. Skyhigh Security’s innovations have been validated both by analysts and customers alike. It is truly one of the most solid and unique SSE solutions in the market today.”

The Skyhigh Security SSE Portfolio includes Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), Cloud Data Loss Prevention (DLP), Remote Browser Isolation technology, Cloud Firewall and Cloud Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP). The company was most recently named a Leader in the 2022 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Security Service Edge and recognized in the 2022 Critical Capabilities for SSE for its MVISION Unified Cloud Edge (UCE) solution.