Barracuda Networks
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Security, networking, and storage solutions |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Founder | Dean Drako, Michael Perone, Zach Levow |
| Headquarters | Campbell, California , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | William "BJ" Jenkins (CEO), Michelle Hodges (SVP of Global Channels and Alliances) |
| Products | Network appliances, cloud-based services, cybersecurity platforms |
| Owner | KKR |
| Website | www |
Barracuda Networks, Inc. is a privately held American company focused on delivering security, networking, and storage solutions through both network appliances and cloud-based services.
History
Established in 2003 by CEO Dean Drako, along with Michael Perone and Zach Levow, Barracuda launched its Spam and Virus Firewall product in the founding year. The company moved its main office to Campbell, California in 2007 and simultaneously opened a branch in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 2006, it raised $40 million in external capital from investors including Sequoia Capital and Francisco Partners.
In 2008, Barracuda introduced the Barracuda Reputation Block List (BRBL), a publicly accessible, real-time spam server blacklist. That same year involved patent litigation with Trend Micro over antivirus technologies, with Barracuda defending itself by asserting infringement claims on patents it had acquired from IBM.
Between 2008 and 2012, the company significantly expanded its research and development operations in Ann Arbor, increasing its Michigan-based team to nearly 180 staff members. Founder Dean Drako stepped down as CEO in July 2012 but continued serving on the board. Later that year, William "BJ" Jenkins, an experienced executive from EMC specializing in backup and recovery solutions, took over as CEO.
Barracuda became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CUDA in November 2013. Two years later, in 2015, it launched a Next Generation Firewall product to broaden its cybersecurity offerings.
The firm was acquired by private equity firm Thoma Bravo in a $1.6 billion transaction completed in early 2018. Subsequently, in April 2022, KKR agreed to purchase Barracuda from Thoma Bravo for close to $4 billion, finalizing the deal by August.
In 2024, Barracuda unveiled BarracudaONE, an AI-driven unified cybersecurity platform that consolidates email security, data backup, threat detection, and extended detection and response (XDR) into a single management interface.
To enhance global alliances and channel partnerships, Michelle Hodges was named Senior Vice President of Global Channels and Alliances in May 2025.
Acquisitions
- In September 2007, Barracuda Networks acquired NetContinuum to strengthen its application controller offerings for securing enterprise web applications.
- The company expanded its SSL VPN solutions for small businesses through the acquisitions of BitLeap and 3SP in November 2008.
- January 2009 saw Barracuda acquire Yosemite Technologies to incorporate incremental backup software compatible with applications such as Microsoft Exchange and SQL Server.
- In September 2009, Barracuda secured a controlling interest in phion AG, an Austrian enterprise firewall provider. The following month it purchased Purewire Inc., a SaaS company specializing in cloud-based web filtering and security.
- April 2013 marked Barracuda’s entry into cloud data storage by acquiring SignNow.
- The acquisition of C2C Systems UK in 2014 bolstered Barracuda's presence within the United Kingdom.
- In October 2015, Barracuda enhanced its backup and recovery portfolio by acquiring Intronis.
- November 2017 included the purchase of Sonian, which specializes in cloud information archiving and analytics; this month also coincided with Thoma Bravo’s $1.6 billion acquisition of Barracuda.
- Early 2018 brought the acquisition of PhishLine to augment social engineering defense capabilities.
- In July 2021, Barracuda entered the extended detection and response (XDR) arena through the acquisition of SKOUT Cybersecurity.
- Private equity firm KKR completed its purchase of Barracuda from Thoma Bravo in April 2022 for roughly $4 billion.
- In 2024, Barracuda further broadened its cybersecurity suite by acquiring Fyde.
Security Vulnerability
In January 2013, a backdoor vulnerability was identified in Barracuda Networks' firewall, VPN, and spam filtering solutions, which permitted unauthorized remote access to confidential information. The company acted swiftly to address and fix the security flaw following its revelation.
IP Reputation and Emailreg.org
Emailreg.org clarified in 2009 that it functioned as an allowlist independent from Barracuda's Blog Lists. Nonetheless, in 2010, accusations emerged suggesting that Barracuda's spam filtering system was blocking IP addresses not involved in spamming activities to incentivize enrollment in Emailreg.org’s whitelist service. Emailreg.org stopped onboarding new clients in 2019 and terminated its operations shortly after. By May 2020, certain IPs continued to receive blocking notifications through Barracuda's reputation mechanism.
See also
- Comparison of file hosting services
- Comparison of file synchronization software
- Comparison of online backup services