The rising tide of sophisticated cyber threats is colliding head-on with the fragmented, resource-strained reality of small and mid-sized business (SMB) cybersecurity. At the center of this critical junction is Guardz, an Israeli-founded cybersecurity company that has swiftly positioned itself as a linchpin for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and IT professionals seeking streamlined, enterprise-grade defense tools. With the announcement of its $56 million Series B funding round led by ClearSky, Guardz has now raised a total of $84 million in just over two years—underscoring both investor confidence and market urgency.
The funding round, which includes participation from Phoenix Financial, SentinelOne, Glilot Capital Partners, Hanaco Ventures, iAngels, GKFF Ventures, Lumir, and others, is set to accelerate Guardz’s go-to-market strategy and bolster its unified cybersecurity platform. That platform, built from the ground up to serve the MSP ecosystem, merges AI-powered detection and automation with the responsiveness of human-led managed detection and response (MDR). Guardz’s system integrates protection across identities, email, endpoints, cloud environments, and data layers—delivering a comprehensive threat visibility and mitigation framework that is purpose-built for the messy, multi-tenant realities MSPs face.
Guardz’s architecture doesn’t just reflect a technical consolidation of tools. It addresses a systemic inefficiency: 77% of MSPs reportedly wrestle with multiple, siloed cybersecurity solutions, a friction that undermines their agility and increases operational costs. Guardz resolves this by centralizing functions into a single AI-native engine. The platform’s integrations with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace—two of the most ubiquitous environments for SMBs—allow for real-time behavioral monitoring and preemptive account suspensions. Combined with SentinelOne’s embedded endpoint detection and response (EDR), the system enables proactive threat hunting and faster incident resolution without introducing additional management overhead.
What distinguishes Guardz in a crowded cybersecurity landscape is its focus on simplicity, scalability, and built-in insurance readiness. The inclusion of cyber compliance features and insurance support reflects a deeper understanding of the SMB-MSP value chain, where risk mitigation must go beyond detection and extend into policy readiness. Guardz isn’t merely selling cybersecurity products—it’s delivering a full-stack resilience platform that allows MSPs to turn protection into a scalable business model.
Since emerging from stealth in early 2023, Guardz has seen rapid uptake among hundreds of MSPs and is now protecting thousands of businesses globally. With this new capital, the company plans to enhance its automation layers and expand its international footprint, while continuing to push the envelope on AI-driven prevention and adaptive response.
For ClearSky Managing Partner Alex Weiss, the investment is both strategic and symbolic. He describes Guardz as having not only a technical advantage, but also market timing on its side: “Their AI-native approach, seamless integrations, and relentless focus on the MSP ecosystem has led to rapid growth and uniquely positions them to continue to lead this space.”
As the threat surface grows and budget-constrained SMBs face mounting pressure, Guardz’s strategy to empower the MSP layer may prove to be one of the most impactful approaches to democratizing cybersecurity. With deep pockets, a focused vision, and an agile product architecture, Guardz is emerging not just as a vendor, but as a backbone in the modern digital security stack for the global SMB economy.
Leave a Reply