Banyan Security

Banyan Security, established in 2015, operates as a key player in the cybersecurity sector, specifically within the Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and Security Service Edge (SSE) markets. The company was founded by Jayanth Gummaraju, Tarun Desikan, and Yoshio Turner, who brought together their expertise to address the security challenges of modern remote and hybrid work environments. CEO Jayanth Gummaraju's background includes a Ph.D. from Stanford, where he was mentored by VMware founder Mendel Rosenblum, and subsequent experience at VMware, where he focused on virtualization and security. This foundation in distributed systems and virtualization directly influenced Banyan's architectural approach.

The firm's core business revolves around providing secure, least-privilege access to corporate applications and resources for employees and third-party contractors, regardless of their location. Banyan's platform is designed to replace traditional VPNs, which are often ill-suited for the decentralized nature of cloud computing and a distributed workforce. The business model is subscription-based, with revenue generated through tiered plans that cater to different organizational sizes and needs, including a free tier for smaller teams and more comprehensive enterprise plans. Its client base spans multiple industries, including finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and technology.

Banyan's product is a cloud-native SSE platform that integrates several key security services: ZTNA, Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Secure Web Gateway (SWG), and VPNaaS (VPN-as-a-Service). A central feature is its device-centric approach, which leverages the processing power of modern devices to conduct real-time risk assessments and enforce access policies continuously. This method evaluates user and device trust before granting granular access, thereby reducing the attack surface and preventing lateral movement by unauthorized actors. The platform can be deployed rapidly in on-premises, cloud, or hybrid settings, and it integrates with existing security tools like identity providers and endpoint management systems. In December 2023, Banyan Security was acquired by SonicWall, a move intended to bolster SonicWall's cloud security portfolio by integrating Banyan's ZTNA and SSE capabilities.

Keywords: Zero Trust Network Access, ZTNA, Security Service Edge, SSE, cloud security, remote access security, cybersecurity, SonicWall acquisition, Jayanth Gummaraju, device-centric security, least-privilege access, VPN replacement, Cloud Access Security Broker, CASB, Secure Web Gateway, SWG, hybrid work security, continuous authorization, access control, network security platform, application access