Proofpoint, Inc. has announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Hornetsecurity Group, one of Europe’s leading providers of security, data protection, regulatory compliance, and cybersecurity training solutions for Microsoft 365 environments, powered by artificial intelligence.
With this acquisition, Proofpoint significantly enhances its ability to deliver people-centric security to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) globally, particularly through its network of managed service providers (MSPs). The combination of Proofpoint’s international reach and Hornetsecurity’s strong expertise in the MSP ecosystem will advance the shared mission of protecting organizations and their employees from cyber threats.
Hornetsecurity adds a high-performing business to Proofpoint’s portfolio, boasting over $160 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), year-over-year growth exceeding 20%, and a performance surpassing the Rule of 60, indicating strong market demand and excellent scalability.
Hornetsecurity and Proofpoint provide high-quality solutions to various market segments; Hornetsecurity serves over 12,000 channel partners and MSPs and more than 125,000 SMBs across Europe, while Proofpoint has established itself as a global leader in enterprise security, trusted by 85 percent of Fortune 100 companies and more than half of Fortune 1000 companies. Together, the two companies will offer complementary and tailored platforms for each customer worldwide, developed through shared cyber threat intelligence, featuring a new and powerful standard of human-centric security.
“As attacker sophistication increases and people remain their primary target, organizations need security that protects them wherever they work, across email, cloud applications, and all digital channels,” says Sumit Dhawan, CEO of Proofpoint. “We are excited to welcome Hornetsecurity and expand our industry-leading people-centric security platform to better meet the unique needs of MSPs and SMBs. We look forward to increasing our investment in European markets as part of our global growth strategy.”
“Hornetsecurity’s AI-based security platform empowers thousands of managed service providers to deliver enterprise-level protection to their SMB clients across Europe,” states Daniel Hofmann, founder and CEO of Hornetsecurity. “As people-centric risks continue to grow, joining forces with Proofpoint is the natural next step in our journey to provide the most robust global offering of M365 security services. This way, we can better serve our partners and customers and extend that protection worldwide to help MSPs protect the people, data, and operations of their clients.
M365 is at the core of operations for many businesses and has also become a primary target for attackers. The recent expansion of the agreement between Proofpoint and Microsoft allows for scaling innovation and offers people-centric security to help our mutual customers detect and proactively mitigate threats aimed at individuals and the data they work with.
Hornetsecurity’s flagship product, 365 Total Protection, is the most comprehensive cloud security solution for M365, providing MSPs with a unified multi-tenant platform to deliver integrated services such as advanced email security, backups, awareness training, access management, and domain fraud protection. Hornetsecurity’s team will continue to drive innovation through its Total Protection product platform to deliver additional innovative solutions to its partners and customers. Thanks to the combination of shared threat intelligence and AI models, both Proofpoint and Hornetsecurity’s customers and partners will benefit from enhanced effectiveness in threat detection products.
Following the close of the transaction, Proofpoint will leverage its global reach to make the power of the Hornetsecurity platform available to MSPs and their clients worldwide, advancing the shared mission of protecting people, data, and the operations of each organization. Hornetsecurity will serve as the central hub for all MSP and SMB clients of the group, ensuring a unified approach, improved service delivery, and accelerated innovation tailored to the needs of these key customer segments.
Daniel Hofmann, CEO of Hornetsecurity, will continue to lead the company and will work on strategic growth and vision. The executive team will remain with the company, driving the company’s vision and proven product strategy, accelerating innovation to deliver the next generation of cybersecurity solutions. The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of 2025, subject to customary closing conditions. The terms of the transaction are confidential.