Kiteworks
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Security software |
| Founded | 1999 in Singapore |
| Headquarters | San Mateo, California, United States |
Key people | |
Number of employees | 400+ |
| Website | kiteworks |
Kiteworks, previously known as Accellion, Inc., is a US-based technology firm that specializes in protecting sensitive communications across channels such as email, file sharing, managed file transfers, web forms, and APIs. Established in 1999 in Singapore, the company is currently headquartered in San Mateo, California.
The Kiteworks Private Data Network consolidates email and file data exchanges onto a unified platform, enabling organizations to reduce risks related to data privacy and adhere to regulatory requirements for data protection.
By the year 2022, Kiteworks' solutions were utilized by more than 3,800 clients worldwide.
History
Originating as Accellion in Singapore in 1999, the company initially concentrated on distributed file storage technologies before transitioning its headquarters to Palo Alto, California, and shifting focus toward secure file transfer solutions. By 2011, Accellion had accumulated roughly $35 million in investment capital and reached a valuation of $500 million by 2014. CEO Yorgen Edholm attributed part of the company's success to growing market demand for privacy-centric products that avoid surveillance practices similar to those associated with the NSA.
In 2012, Accellion raised $12.2 million from Riverwood Capital to support its growth strategy. By 2016, the company prioritized security and compliance capabilities such as data governance and established partnerships with leading cybersecurity independent software vendors (ISVs).
A significant investment of $120 million from Bregal Sagemount in April 2020 funded further expansion efforts. Later that year, the company rebranded itself as Kiteworks.
Towards the end of 2020, a zero-day vulnerability impacted Accellion’s older File Transfer Appliance (FTA), resulting in security breaches at several organizations. The Kiteworks platform remained secure due to its distinct codebase. Support for the FTA product was officially discontinued in April 2021.
Kiteworks has grown through strategic acquisitions including Swiss email encryption provider totemo in January 2022; German companies ownCloud and DRACOON in November 2023 to enhance its footprint in the European market; and UK-based Maytech to bolster secure data transfer offerings.
In October 2023, Kiteworks achieved SOC 2 Type II compliance along with ISO/IEC certifications 27001, 27017, and 27018 for its platform.
In May 2024, Kiteworks became an early adopter of CISA’s Secure by Design Pledge, demonstrating its dedication to security transparency.
August 2024 marked a major funding achievement with $456 million secured from Insight Partners and Sixth Street Partners at a valuation surpassing $1 billion.
In September 2024, Kiteworks acquired Romania-based 123FormBuilder to enhance secure web-based data collection and workflow management capabilities.
By 2024, Kiteworks supported over 100 million users within more than 3,800 organizations globally.
In March 2025, Kiteworks earned FIPS 140-3 validation for its cryptographic module and attained FedRAMP High Ready status for its Secure Gov Cloud offering—strengthening its compliance credentials for federal government clients.
Software
By 2002, Accellion had already developed systems for file transfer and introduced a hardware-based file transfer appliance in 2005 to alleviate server strain when handling large files. In March 2011, the company unveiled a secure platform for online file collaboration. Expanding its offerings by 2012, Accellion launched kitedrive, a mobile file synchronization solution designed for enterprises requiring secure transmission of large files, including sectors such as healthcare and education.
January 2014 marked the release of Kiteworks, a platform that improved remote file editing and collaborative workflows through integrations with services like Google Drive and Dropbox. Later that year, in December, the company enhanced secure mobile file access by providing application programming interfaces. Kiteworks received commendations in 2015 for its intuitive user interface, mobile compatibility, and robust privacy features.
Kiteworks achieved FedRAMP Authorization at the Moderate Impact level in June 2017 and has successfully retained this certification on an annual basis. In November 2018, the introduction of the CISO Dashboard enabled detailed audit trails for sensitive information management. By March 2022, Kiteworks secured IRAP certification for handling Protected data classifications.
In August 2022, the company launched its Private Data Network, a zero-trust architecture designed to ensure compliance and protection of unstructured data. April 2023 brought Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus certifications in the United Kingdom, alongside an announcement supporting the NIST Cybersecurity Framework to bolster risk management for content.
February 2024 saw the debut of SafeEDIT, a digital rights management (DRM) capability allowing native document editing and secure third-party sharing through video streaming technology. In October 2024, Kiteworks introduced the AI Data Gateway to facilitate secure enterprise AI applications while safeguarding sensitive information such as personally identifiable information (PII) and intellectual property.
In May 2025, CyberDefense Magazine recognized Kiteworks for its competitive strengths in secure data exchange, resilient virtual appliance design, and possession-less DRM editing that enables collaborative work without risking exposure of original source materials.
2020–21 security breaches
In December 2020, a zero-day vulnerability was exploited within Accellion’s legacy File Transfer Appliance (FTA), with a patch released by December 23. Following this, three additional vulnerabilities were identified and remediated. These included an SQL injection flaw that allowed attackers to execute arbitrary commands and extract data. The related security issues were cataloged under CVE identifiers 2021-27101 through 2021-27104.
Out of roughly 300 FTA customers, up to 25 suffered substantial data breaches involving prominent organizations such as Kroger, Shell Oil Company, the University of California system, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, and Singtel. Compromised information included Social Security numbers, passport scans, financial records, driver’s license details, and email correspondence. FireEye attributed these intrusions to two hacking groups associated with Clop ransomware operations and FIN11 financial crime syndicates. Affected parties received extortion communications containing links to their leaked data hosted on dark web platforms.
Accellion emphasized that FTA was an outdated product approaching end-of-life status with support concluding on April 30, 2021, encouraging users to migrate to its Kiteworks solution.
In January 2022, Accellion proposed an $8.1 million settlement intended to resolve all litigation directed at the company concerning these breaches; this agreement did not cover lawsuits filed by impacted clients.