Highlights:

  • TalonWork employs optimized settings to enhance the security of users’ browser installations, effectively thwarting cyberattacks aimed at them.
  • TalonWork enables users to restrict access to critical functionalities within a cloud application.

Shortly after completing the acquisition of Dig Security Solutions Ltd. in late October, Palo Alto Networks Inc. wasted no time in expanding its portfolio through the reported purchase of Talon Cyber Security Ltd., an enterprise browsing platform company, for a said sum of USD 625 million.

Employees of Talon are anticipated to receive between USD 70 million to USD 80 million as part of the deal, according to a recent Calcalist report in Ctech. This means that a significant number of employees will receive compensation exceeding USD 1 million per employee. According to reports, Talon was worth USD 350 million during its most recent venture capital round in August 2022.

Established in 2021, Talon provides a secure enterprise browser known as TalonWork, which is intended to enable workers in an organization to access the cloud-based applications necessary for their jobs. Based on Chromium, the open-source browser engine behind Google Chrome, Talon sets itself apart from Chrome by offering a range of cybersecurity features explicitly designed to thwart hacking attempts.

With settings optimized to make users’ browser installations less vulnerable to hacking, TalonWork blocks cyberattacks that target them. The browser has built-in defenses against cyberattacks directed at the rendering engine—the part of the browser that handles processing multimedia content on web pages.

Administrators in an enterprise setting can use a cloud-based dashboard to control TalonWork installations made by employees. The dashboard is supposed to assist with related tasks, like downloading security updates and highlighting potentially harmful browser extensions.

Before downloading, the browser can encrypt files, reducing the possibility of hackers stealing confidential company information. Limiting access to a cloud application’s essential features is another feature that TalonWork allows for.

In September, it was first reported that Palo Alto Networks was considering purchasing Talon for an estimated USD 600 million. Its payment of USD 625 million represents a respectable exit for a two-year-old company.

Prior to being acquired, Talon was said to have raised USD 126 million in funding. The following groups of investors invested in Talon: Merlin Ventures LLC, Ballistic Ventures LLC, Lightspeed Venture Partners LP, SYN Ventures LLC,  Evolution Equity Partners LLC, CrowdStrike Falcon Fund L.P., and Team8 Ltd.

Palo Alto Networks has maintained a consistent record of acquiring startups, with a track record of over half a dozen acquisitions totaling more than USD 1.5 billion in value since 2019. The most substantial among these acquisitions was the purchase of Demisto Inc. in 2019, which amounted to a significant USD 560 million.