Proofpoint has completed its acquisition of Hornetsecurity Group in a transaction valued at $1.8 billion, marking a major expansion of its human and agent centric cybersecurity platform and deepening its reach into the global managed service provider and small to midsize business markets.
The deal significantly strengthens Proofpoint’s European presence while adding a rapidly growing portfolio of Microsoft 365 security, compliance, backup, and security awareness offerings.
Hornetsecurity, which generates nearly $200 million in annual recurring revenue with year over year growth of 20 percent, brings a substantial partner ecosystem of more than 12,000 MSPs serving over 125,000 customers. The acquisition enables Proofpoint to accelerate its strategy of extending advanced threat protection, data security, and governance capabilities to organizations of all sizes through MSP focused distribution.
Hornetsecurity’s flagship offering, 365 Total Protection, is widely recognized as one of the most comprehensive cloud security platforms for Microsoft 365, combining email security, backup, compliance tooling, access controls, and awareness training. The acquisition gives Proofpoint expanded multi tenant management capabilities designed specifically for MSPs that require scalable administration without relying on separate point solutions.
With the transaction now closed, Hornetsecurity will operate as a dedicated business unit within Proofpoint, led by founder and CEO Daniel Hofmann, who will serve as executive vice president and general manager. His leadership team will remain in place, driving continued product innovation, market expansion, and partner success. Customers and partners will maintain full continuity of existing services and gain additional resources from Proofpoint’s global infrastructure, research, and threat intelligence.
The acquisition reinforces Proofpoint’s commitment to AI powered cybersecurity, particularly as enterprises adopt more agentic workflows. By integrating Hornetsecurity’s technology and expertise, Proofpoint aims to strengthen protection across people, AI agents, and data in cloud centric environments.
More information about the transaction, strategy, and integration plans is available through blog posts authored by Proofpoint CEO Sumit Dhawan and Hornetsecurity founder Daniel Hofmann.
KEY QUOTES
“We’re thrilled to officially welcome Hornetsecurity to Proofpoint and further our mission to protect the emerging agentic workspace for customers of every size. Together, we will extend our human and agent centric security leadership to safeguard people, AI agents, and data, while expanding our reach to SMBs and MSPs with Hornetsecurity’s proven, scalable platform. As threats grow faster and more targeted, our combined expertise will raise the bar for innovation and resilience—helping customers and partners worldwide safeguard what matters most.”
Sumit Dhawan, CEO, Proofpoint
“Joining Proofpoint marks a new chapter in our journey. Together, we’re uniquely positioned to deliver the most effective M365 security and data protection to MSPs around the world. Building on our time tested and well established channel centric approach, our combined capabilities, shared threat intelligence, and aligned vision will drive a new level of innovation and value for our partners and customers globally.”
Daniel Hofmann, Founder and CEO, Hornetsecurity; Executive Vice President and General Manager, Proofpoint
