Akamai buys LayerX for $205 million to add browser controls
Akamai has agreed to acquire LayerX for $205 million, adding secure enterprise browser technology to its product portfolio. LayerX provides a lightweight browser extension that creates a policy-enforced, secure workspace within existing web browsers. Akamai plans to integrate LayerX into its Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) portfolio to extend security controls into the browser session, especially for SaaS and AI tool interactions.
Key Takeaways
- LayerX is a Tel Aviv-based startup founded in 2021.
- The company sells a browser extension for Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and other major browsers.
- Akamai will keep LayerX as a standalone product while integrating it into Guardicore Segmentation, Secure Internet Access Enterprise, Enterprise Application Access, and its MFA access offering.
- LayerX observes clicks, prompts, and actions in SaaS and AI tools before traffic is encrypted and transmitted.
- The deal closes next quarter, according to the article.
Why It Matters
Akamai is adding a browser-level control point to a ZTNA platform that already governs application access, but not what happens after authentication. That matters because LayerX extends policy enforcement into SaaS and AI tool sessions before encryption, where Akamai says proxy-based controls can create performance issues. The move also places Akamai alongside Zscaler, CrowdStrike, and Palo Alto Networks in a crowded secure enterprise browser market. Gartner says 10% of surveyed organizations are using secure enterprise browsers, with that figure forecast to reach 25% by 2028.
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