deviceTRUST

deviceTRUST GmbH operates as a contextual security platform, enabling enterprises to manage and secure digital workspaces. The company was established in Darmstadt, Germany, in 2016 by Sascha Göckel, Jens Schmidt, and Jon Allsop, a trio with extensive shared experience in the virtualization market. Their collective background in end-user computing projects revealed a market gap for a solution that considered the context of device access, a concept not widely addressed in IT security in 2015. The company's business model centers on providing software that allows employees to securely access corporate data and applications from any location, on any device, and over any network. This is particularly relevant for organizations supporting hybrid work models and needing to comply with stringent security and regulatory standards.

The core of deviceTRUST's offering is its Contextual Security platform, which integrates with existing IT infrastructure to provide continuous, real-time evaluation of endpoint devices. The platform analyzes over 200 contextual properties, including device hardware, software, network connections, security status, and geolocation. Based on predefined policies, the system can automate security actions in real-time, such as locking a user's session, controlling application access, or dynamically configuring the workspace if a device's context changes and no longer meets compliance requirements. This approach enhances Zero Trust security strategies by adding the device's real-time posture as a critical verification factor, moving beyond traditional role-based access control. The architecture consists of a central management console, an agent on the protected infrastructure, and a client extension on the endpoint devices.

deviceTRUST's journey includes a seed funding round in 2017 led by High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), which enabled personnel and marketing investments. This was followed by a seven-figure Series A round in 2019 with participation from Hessen Kapital I and Technologiefonds Hessen GmbH, aimed at fueling European expansion and product development. The company has secured customers across various sectors, including healthcare and automotive. In a significant milestone, deviceTRUST was acquired by Cloud Software Group in December 2024 to be integrated into its Citrix business unit, aiming to enhance Citrix's secure access and zero-trust capabilities for VDI and DaaS environments.

Keywords: contextual security, zero trust network access, endpoint compliance, digital workspace security, VDI security, conditional access, device posture, access control, data protection, hybrid work security, secure remote access, endpoint management, IT governance, regulatory compliance, DaaS security, session control, real-time security, application access control, geolocation security, network security enforcement