Meta Networks launches Network-as-a-Service platform, raises $10m

Meta Networks  photo: David Garb
Meta Networks photo: David Garb

Tel Aviv-based Meta Networks' platform is designed to replace site-centric VPNs with a more flexible user-centric solution.

Secure cloud-native networking company Meta Networks Ltd. today launched its flagship network and security platform - Meta NaaS (Network-as-a-Service). Meta Networks’ user-centric platform is delivered as a service to connect people, applications, clouds and sites within a software-defined perimeter, significantly reducing the possibility of a security breach while improving the overall user experience. The Meta NaaS platform replaces conventional, site-centric Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) with a flexible platform that provides always-on security for the enterprise and its employees, whether accessing private resources or the Internet.

According to Gartner, "By 2021, 60% of enterprises will phase out network VPNs for digital business communications in favor of software-defined perimeters, up from less than 1% in 2016." ("Gartner Identifies the Top Technologies for Security in 2017", June 14, 2017)

With a fundamentally new platform that addresses both business and IT requirements in the Software-Defined Perimeter space, Meta Networks is making its public debut with $10 million of seed stage funding led by Israeli venture capital firms Vertex Ventures and the BRM Group. The company says it is entering the market on a clear path to category leadership with unique, production-proven technology and an increasing volume of customer deployments. Meta Networks is using the current funding to expand operations as its flagship technology platform, Meta NaaS, gains traction in the enterprise.

"Meta NaaS is a new zero-trust paradigm for the ‘virtual private network’ that revolves around users rather than physical topology. This shift enables organizations to deliver always-on network security and reliable connectivity, along with a much better user experience," said Meta Networks founder and CEO Etay Bogner. "What elevates our technology is the cloud-native global backbone and the comprehensive, identity-based network security architecture that are designed to support millions of users efficiently."

Based on the next generation of cloud technology, Meta Networks brings the advantages of scale, agility and cloud-economics to network connectivity and security, providing secure access to corporate resources and the internet at any time or location. With organizations seeking a more integrated solution to the challenges of network security in a rapidly-changing environment, Meta NaaS delivers a new approach. The company says that just as SaaS, IaaS and PaaS transformed applications, NaaS will transform networking and network security.

The platform addresses requirements for secure remote access, multi-cloud connectivity, and branch connectivity. It is also the only platform available that provides the flexibility to address the full range of challenges posed by cloud migration and employee mobility.

Before Meta Networks, Bogner founded Stratoscale, a company focused on private clouds. Before that, he founded Neocleus, a virtualization vendor acquired by Intel. His entrepreneurial career began in 1999 with the founding of SofaWare, a network security vendor that was ultimately acquired by Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq: CHKP) Point Software.

Bogner is supported by security and networking industry veterans from Cisco, Oracle and Check Point. Altogether, Meta Networks' team numbers about 30. The company was founded in late 2016 and is based in Tel Aviv. Two of its customers (both with Israeli connections) are MyHeritage and Dynamic Yield.

"Meta NaaS is built around network users, not a physical business location. This is an advantageous approach for organizations like ours that have applications in data centers and clouds around the world, as well as an increasingly mobile workforce. Meta Networks’ game-changing solution allows employees to connect from anywhere using any device without sacrificing security or performance," said Ramon Snir, Senior Developer at Dynamic Yield. "Thanks to the powerful APIs, we can automate our workflows and provide a very simple interface for our global sales team."

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on April 3, 2018

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2018

Meta Networks  photo: David Garb
Meta Networks photo: David Garb
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