# AppRiver

> AppRiver is a cloud email-security and productivity business founded in Gulf Breeze, Florida, in 2002 by Michael Murdoch and Joel Smith. It built a subscription business serving smaller organizations directly and through IT resellers, combining spam and malware filtering with hosted email, Microsoft 365, encryption, archiving and continuity. Zix acquired it for $275 million in 2019; OpenText acquired Zix in December 2021. The heritage business now sits within OpenText Cybersecurity.

- **Founded:** 2002
- **Headquarters:** Gulf Breeze, United States
- **Founders:** Michael Murdoch (Co-founder and original CEO), Joel Smith (Co-founder and original CTO)
- **Products:** Spam and virus filtering / SecureTide, Microsoft 365 services, Secure Hosted Exchange, Email encryption, Email archiving
- **Notable:** University of West Florida biography credits 11 consecutive appearances on the Inc. 5000 during Murdoch’s tenure., Channel revenue rose 30% in 2014 and indirect sales exceeded half of sales for the first time, according to March 2015 CRN reporting., 2018 company release reported 60,000 customer companies and 4,500 resellers.

## Products & services

- **Spam and virus filtering / SecureTide** — Original cloud filtering service; later portfolio materials describe Email Threat Protection.
- **Microsoft 365 services** — Microsoft licensing and cloud productivity services, with partner support and migration expertise.
- **Secure Hosted Exchange** — Managed Microsoft Exchange email hosting in the historical AppRiver portfolio.
- **Email encryption** — Historical AppRiver offering expanded with Zix technology in 2019; the current OpenText product uses policy-driven encryption.
- **Email archiving** — Retention, search and e-discovery tools in the historical product suite.
- **Email continuity** — Continuity during primary email outages; current OpenText Core Email Continuity includes 30 days of stored messages.
- **OpenText Secure Cloud** — Current management platform for provisioning, licenses, billing and partner integrations; the legacy AppRiver account portal remains available.

## Achievements

- University of West Florida biography credits 11 consecutive appearances on the Inc. 5000 during Murdoch’s tenure.
- Channel revenue rose 30% in 2014 and indirect sales exceeded half of sales for the first time, according to March 2015 CRN reporting.
- 2018 company release reported 60,000 customer companies and 4,500 resellers.
- $275 million acquisition by Zix in 2019.

## Latest updates

- **2024-05** — OpenText acquired Pillr, adding MDR capabilities to the broader parent portfolio; this is not an AppRiver acquisition.
- **2026-09** — Research check: AppRiver’s website redirects to OpenText’s legacy AppRiver page, which keeps Secure Cloud account and support links. This date is the observation date, not the rebrand launch date.

## Links

- Website: https://www.appriver.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/appriver/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/appriver
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/appriver

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/appriver
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-30