# Proofpoint

> Proofpoint is a cybersecurity and compliance company that protects organizations against the threats that target people - email attacks, data loss, and insider risk. Founded in 2002, it became the first SaaS-based cybersecurity vendor to cross $1B in annual revenue, was taken private by Thoma Bravo for $12.3B in 2021, and today runs a 'human-centric' security platform spanning email defense, data security, and identity threat protection used by a majority of the Fortune 100.

- **Founded:** 2002
- **Headquarters:** Sunnyvale, California, United States
- **Founders:** Eric Hahn (Founder (former Netscape CTO))
- **Team size:** ~3,700+ employees globally (offices in 15+ countries)
- **Products:** Threat Protection (Email Security), Data Security / Information Protection, Identity Threat Defense, Security Awareness / ZenGuide, Archiving & Compliance / Intelligent Compliance
- **Notable:** First SaaS-based cybersecurity and compliance company to surpass $1B in annual revenue (2020), Acquired by Thoma Bravo for $12.3B in 2021 - one of the largest software take-private deals in history, Consistently named a Leader in Gartner Magic Quadrants for email security and related categories

## Products & services

- **Threat Protection (Email Security)** — Detects and blocks phishing, business email compromise, malware, and account takeover - the company's flagship line, defending the inbox where most attacks begin.
- **Data Security / Information Protection** — Enterprise DLP, adaptive email DLP, insider threat management, and data security posture management (DSPM) to prevent leaks and exfiltration across email, cloud, and endpoints.
- **Identity Threat Defense** — Detects and remediates identity-based attack paths and privilege escalation before attackers can move laterally (built on the Illusive acquisition).
- **Security Awareness / ZenGuide** — Phishing simulations and training that turn employees into a line of defense rather than the weakest link.
- **Archiving & Compliance / Intelligent Compliance** — Email and communications archiving, supervision, and e-discovery for regulated industries.
- **Hornetsecurity (Microsoft 365 security for SMB/MSP)** — Purpose-built email security, backup, and compliance delivered through the MSP channel to organizations of all sizes.

## Achievements

- First SaaS-based cybersecurity and compliance company to surpass $1B in annual revenue (2020)
- Acquired by Thoma Bravo for $12.3B in 2021 - one of the largest software take-private deals in history
- Consistently named a Leader in Gartner Magic Quadrants for email security and related categories
- Built a human-centric platform through 20+ acquisitions including Tessian, Illusive, Normalyze, and Hornetsecurity
- $1.8B Hornetsecurity acquisition (closed Dec 2025) - the largest in company history

## Latest updates

- **2026-02** — Acquired Acuvity, an AI security and governance platform, to defend against risks from generative AI adoption.
- **2025-12** — Completed the $1.8B acquisition of Germany's Hornetsecurity - the largest deal in Proofpoint's history - extending human-centric security to SMBs via the MSP channel.
- **2025-07** — CEO Sumit Dhawan elected to the Moody's Corporation Board of Directors.
- **2025-05** — Acquired Nuclei and signed the agreement to acquire Hornetsecurity as it signals renewed interest in an IPO.
- **2024-11** — Acquired Normalyze, a data security posture management (DSPM) company, to strengthen data security across AI and cloud.

## Links

- Website: https://www.proofpoint.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/proofpoint
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/proofpoint_inc
- GitHub: https://github.com/proofpoint
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProofpointInc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/proofpoint

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/proofpoint
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-20