Cisco has announced a significant step in the field of artificial intelligence by acquiring the cybersecurity company Astrix Security. Astrix's platform has the capability to detect and manage AI agents operating in production environments. The financial details of the deal have not yet been disclosed; however, some sources suggest that the value of the agreement could be around $300 million.
Astrix's Investments and Technology
In December of last year, Astrix raised $45 million in a Series B funding round, bringing its total investment amount to $85 million. This funding round was led by Menlo Ventures, with participation from several other investors.
Astrix's software allows businesses to create a real-time inventory that includes context related to all AI agents in their environments. This enables security teams to better understand the risks associated with these agents.
Peter Bailey, the general manager of Cisco's Security Business Group, noted in a blog post that Astrix focuses on non-human identities. The company's mission stands out as securing credentials in modern systems and ensuring the safe adoption of artificial intelligence.
Cisco's goal is to integrate these new capabilities with the Cisco Identity Intelligence platform to enhance visibility and context within the security ecosystem. According to Bailey, Astrix's functionality will also be integrated into platforms like zero trust solutions.
Future Vision
Cisco customers will be able to discover and validate agent identities through this integration, as well as improve detection and response processes. This will provide a unified view combined with the context necessary for research at machine speed.
Astrix's co-founders Alon Jackson and Idan Gour emphasized in their own blog that the number of non-human identities significantly exceeds that of human users, highlighting this as a major risk for security teams.