Runecast

Runecast Solutions Ltd. operates as a provider of a patented, AI-driven platform for vulnerability assessment and cloud-native application protection (CNAPP). The company was established in 2014 by a team of virtualization professionals from IBM: Stanimir Markov (CEO), Aylin Sali (CTO), Ched Smokovic, and Constantin Ivanov. The founders' journey began at IBM's VMWare Center of Excellence, where they managed large-scale virtualization projects and encountered the repetitive nature of troubleshooting issues that were already documented in knowledge bases and security guides. This experience led them to create a solution that automates the process of identifying potential problems before they cause outages.

The firm's core product, Runecast Analyzer, provides predictive and actionable intelligence for IT Security and Operations teams managing complex on-premises, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments. It functions by continuously scanning system configurations and logs against a vast database of known issues, security standards, and vendor best practices. The platform uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to convert human-readable, unstructured data from sources like knowledge bases and compliance documents into machine-readable rules, enabling proactive risk mitigation. Key features include continuous compliance checks for standards like GDPR, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and DORA, as well as vulnerability assessments, configuration drift management, and hardware compatibility validation. The Analyzer supports a range of technologies including VMware, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Kubernetes, and Windows and Linux operating systems.

Runecast serves a diverse client base of medium to large enterprises across various sectors, including financial services, government, defense, healthcare, and IT service providers. Customers have reported significant time savings, with some achieving up to a 90% reduction in troubleshooting time. The business generates revenue through a SaaS model and on-premises deployments, offering flexible options for its clients. In January 2024, the company was acquired by Dynatrace, a move intended to integrate Runecast's security posture management capabilities into Dynatrace's observability platform. Prior to the acquisition, Runecast had raised a total of $1.72 million over three funding rounds, including a seed round led by Credo Ventures and Limerock Advisory, and grants from the European Union.

Keywords: cloud security posture management, CNAPP, vulnerability management, compliance automation, IT operations management, hybrid cloud security, multi-cloud security, configuration management, proactive analytics, risk mitigation, VMware security, Kubernetes security, AWS security, Azure security, GCP security, infrastructure security, security compliance, IT automation, Dynatrace, Stanimir Markov, Aylin Sali, data center security, network security, automated remediation, security audits