Netgear has made a strategic move into the business cybersecurity sector by acquiring Exium, a company known for its secure cloud-based networking technology. The acquisition supports Netgear’s goal of providing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with simple, high-performance connectivity paired with robust security.
By adding Exium’s technology to its portfolio, Netgear plans to go beyond standard virtual private networks (VPNs) and introduce a modern Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) framework. This will allow the company to address both networking and security needs in a single solution.
The company aims to create an all-in-one system that integrates wired and wireless networking with built-in security, designed for small IT teams and managed service providers (MSPs). Netgear’s President and General Manager for Business, Pramod Badjate, highlighted how artificial intelligence has changed cybersecurity challenges for SMEs.
“AI has changed the threat landscape for small and medium enterprises as well as larger businesses, but the solutions for SMEs are often too difficult to implement or need to be cobbled onto the network and managed separately,” Badjate said.
He added that integrating Exium’s SASE technology into Netgear’s Insight cloud management platform will give customers an easy-to-deploy, all-in-one solution.
This move also signals Netgear’s focus on developing hardware that includes advanced security features from the start. The company intends to build networking devices—such as routers and switches—that deliver both performance and protection out of the box.
At the heart of Exium’s platform is zero-trust architecture, aligning with Netgear’s plan to offer a leading Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solution.
Exium CEO Farooq Khan said the company was founded to help SMEs protect against cyber threats with a complete, easy-to-use solution.
“We share a similar vision with Netgear and are excited to be joining the team to build a fully integrated network and security solution specially tailored to serve the needs of these customers,” Khan said.
