Akamai completed its acquisition of Guardicore on October 21, 2021, after announcing the deal as an approximately $600 million transaction on September 29. Akamai later reported cash consideration of $610.4 million in its 2021 Form 10-K and $610.7 million after finalizing the purchase-price allocation in its 2023 Form 10-K. The deal added Guardicore’s enterprise micro-segmentation technology to Akamai’s zero-trust security portfolio.
What happened in the Akamai–Guardicore deal?
On September 29, 2021, Akamai Technologies announced a definitive agreement to acquire Tel Aviv-based Guardicore. Akamai announced completion on October 21, 2021. The transaction is therefore a completed 2021 acquisition, not a pending deal.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Akamai said Guardicore had approximately 270 employees, as reported in Akamai’s 2021 Form 10-K. The company expected the acquisition to dilute earnings per share at least through 2022; that was a forward-looking expectation in the 2021 filing, not a current forecast.
How much did Akamai pay for Guardicore?
The approximately $600 million figure was Akamai’s September 2021 announcement estimate, stated after expected purchase-price adjustments. Later filings report cash consideration in different reporting stages:
#1 Best Overall
- Compact and Efficient Design: The FortiGate 40F is designed for small to mid-sized businesses and enterprise branch offices, featuring a compact, fanless desktop form factor that ensures quiet operation and minimizes space usage.
- Robust Connectivity Options: Equipped with 5 GE RJ45 ports, including 1 WAN port and 4 internal ports, this model provides essential connectivity and flexibility for various network configurations in a small-scale environment.
- High-Performance Security: Offers up to 1 Gbps IPS throughput and 600 Mbps threat protection throughput, using Fortinet’s purpose-built security processor technology to deliver industry-leading performance and protection for SSL encrypted traffic.
- Advanced Threat Protection: Integrated with Fortinet’s AI-powered FortiGuard Labs, the FortiGate 40F offers comprehensive cybersecurity, identifying and mitigating both known and unknown threats to maintain robust security across your network.
- Simplified Management and Deployment: Features a user-friendly management console that provides comprehensive network automation and visibility, coupled with Zero Touch Integration with Fortinet’s Security Fabric for easy deployment.
| Figure | What it represents | Reporting context |
|---|---|---|
| Approximately $600 million | Announced agreement consideration after expected purchase-price adjustments | Akamai’s September 29, 2021 announcement (company announcement) |
| $610.4 million in cash | Cash consideration reported for the acquisition | Akamai’s 2021 Form 10-K, filed in 2022 (SEC filing) |
| $610.7 million in cash | Cash consideration after the purchase-price allocation was finalized in the fourth quarter of 2022 | Akamai’s 2023 Form 10-K, filed in 2024 (SEC filing) |
The announcement estimate and the later SEC-filed cash amounts describe the transaction at different stages and on different reporting bases. The later figures reflect accounting disclosures as the purchase-price allocation progressed; they do not mean Akamai announced a final cash figure of $600 million.
Why did Akamai buy Guardicore?
Akamai said the acquisition would expand its zero-trust security offering with Guardicore’s micro-segmentation technology. In its September announcement, Akamai described the software as limiting communications to applications authorized to communicate with one another. The stated aim was to limit the spread of malware and ransomware and help protect enterprise data.
Rank #2
- HARDWARE PLUS SECURITY SERVICES: FortiGate-60F Firewall Appliance bundled with 1 year of FortiCare Premium and FortiGuard Unified Threat Protection.
- UNIFIED THREAT PROTECTION (UTP): Secures against advanced online threats with comprehensive web filtering and anti-botnet technologies.
- OPTIMIZED FOR MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES: Tailored for businesses needing robust security without the infrastructure of larger enterprises.
- RELIABLE CUSTOMER SUPPORT: FortiCare Premium ensures high-quality support and service continuity.
- EFFECTIVE PROTECTION: Employs advanced filtering technologies to safeguard against sophisticated threats.
Akamai later summarized the rationale in its annual report and proxy filing: “In Zero Trust security, we acquired Guardicore to help stop the spread of ransomware.” That is the company’s stated strategic purpose, not independent evidence that the acquisition or software produced a particular security outcome.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
What is micro-segmentation?
Micro-segmentation is a way to divide an organization’s network or application environment into smaller protected zones and apply rules to which systems may communicate. In Guardicore’s case, Akamai described the approach as allowing communication only between applications authorized to interact. The intended security benefit is to restrict unauthorized movement between systems, so a compromised machine or application has fewer paths through an enterprise environment.
Rank #3
- 【Up to 1100 Mbps VPN Speed 】 Hardware-accelerated WireGuard and OpenVPN-DCO deliver up to 1100 Mbps VPN throughput, over 3× faster than Brume 2 for smooth remote access and file transfers.
- 【Three 2.5G Ports & Multi-WAN】Tri-port 2.5GbE design with flexible WAN LAN configuration supports multi-gigabit wired setups, dual-ISP Multi-WAN and failover to keep home and SOHO networks online.
- 【Stealth VPN Obfuscation】VPN obfuscation disguises VPN traffic as regular HTTPS, helping you evade blocking, bypass restrictive networks and maintain stable, private connections.
- 【DPI protection】Deep Packet Inspection with visual dashboards blocks adult/gambling/malicious sites, while SQM and QoS prioritize gaming, calls, and video when bandwidth is tight
- 【OpenWrt & USB 3.0 Expansion】OpenWrt with 1GB DDR4 and 8GB eMMC lets you install plugins and build VPN, ad-blocking or NAS, while USB 3.0 Type‑C connects high-speed storage or 4G/5G dongles
That explanation describes the product’s design and Akamai’s rationale for buying it. The company materials cited here do not establish independent performance results or quantify how much the software reduced attacks.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- Runs UniFi Network for full-stack network management
- Manages 30+ UniFi Network devices and 300+ clients
- 1 Gbps routing with IDS/IPS
- Multi-WAN load balancing
- 0.96" LCM status display
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
