The realm of cybersecurity has evolved significantly since the era of ARPANET in the 1970s. According to Statista, the cybersecurity market’s revenue is projected to surge substantially as our increasingly interconnected world places a premium on safeguarding individuals and their assets.
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For instance, industry titans like Apple, MasterCard, and Meta hold sway over your personal data. These corporate giants routinely request your information, emphasizing secure websites, robust apps, and fortified back-end storage systems. The critical question arises: Which cybersecurity firms bear the greatest responsibility for ensuring your security?
Whether you are contemplating a career transition or embarking on a cybersecurity journey, understanding the key players safeguarding your data, their locations, origins, services, certifications, and job opportunities is paramount.
The Top 5 Cybersecurity Companies in the U.S.
To identify the leading companies, we scrutinized the most recent stock filings to ascertain those with the highest market capitalization.
Market capitalization, derived from multiplying a company’s stock price by the total number of shares, offers insight into its relative size and value, subject to daily fluctuations.
The following entities represent the definitive American powerhouses in cybersecurity. Each is at the forefront of technological innovation in protecting information systems, networks, devices, and data. This list exclusively features cybersecurity-focused companies, omitting well-known entities like Microsoft and Cisco renowned for their flagship products.
1. Palo Alto Networks
Market Capitalization: $85 billion*
Ticker Symbol: PANW
Headquarters: Santa Clara, Calif.
Origins: Founded in 2005 by Nir Zuk, a former CheckPoint engineer, Palo Alto Networks gained prominence in 2011 when Gartner recognized it as an emerging leader in the field. The company made its debut on the New York Stock Exchange in 2012, raising over $260 million in the fourth-largest tech IPO of the year. Nikesh Arora assumed the roles of Chairman and CEO in 2018.
Overview: Palo Alto Networks’ platform encompasses advanced firewalls and cloud-based offerings that extend protection across various security domains. The company claims to have thwarted over 8 billion cyber attacks since its inception.
Certifications Offered: Job Opportunities:
2. CrowdStrike
Market Capitalization: $77 billion*
Ticker Symbol: CRWD
Headquarters: Austin, Texas
Origins: Founded in 2011 by former McAfee EVP George Kurtz, CrowdStrike emerged in 2012 with incident response services. In 2013, the company introduced Falcon, its flagship product designed for endpoint protection and threat intelligence. Under Kurtz’s leadership as CEO, CrowdStrike has played a pivotal role in assisting the U.S. Department of Justice and corporations in resolving high-profile cyber-espionage incidents.
Overview: CrowdStrike, a leading provider of cloud-based endpoint and workload protection, offers integrated antivirus solutions alongside robust threat intelligence and incident response capabilities. Organizations such as BIPO, Goldman Sachs, and the City of Las Vegas rely on CrowdStrike to safeguard their critical systems. The company also publishes an .
Certifications Offered: Job Opportunities:
3. Fortinet
Market Capitalization: $52 billion*
Ticker Symbol: FTNT
Headquarters: Sunnyvale, Calif.
Origins: Founded in 2000 by brothers Ken and Michael Xie, Fortinet aimed to build the highest-performing network security fabric to help organizations defend against malware, ransomware, and phishing attacks. The company went public in 2009, offering shares at $12.50.
Overview: Fortinet’s security solutions span hardware such as routers and access points, its flagship FortiGate firewall, cloud-based Security Fabric, and the FortiClient VPN. Organizations like IHG Hotels and Resorts, Jersey Mike’s, and Dave’s Hot Chicken rely on Fortinet to secure their networks and data.
Certifications Offered:
Job Opportunities:
4. Cloudflare
Market Capitalization: $32 billion*
Ticker Symbol: NET
Headquarters: San Francisco, Calif.
Origins: Established in 2004 by current CEO Matthew Prince and Lead Engineer Lee Holloway, Cloudflare initially focused on tracing the origins of email spam through Project Honey Pot. The company pivoted its business model toward identifying, blocking, and firewalling cyber threats after Prince’s encounter with Michelle Zatlyn, now COO, at Harvard Business School in 2009. Cloudflare debuted in 2019, with shares trading at $15 each.
Overview: Cloudflare’s global server network is designed to enhance performance and provide security for websites of all sizes, from small businesses to high-traffic platforms. Its suite of services includes Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), Server-Side Encryption (SSE), application and infrastructure optimization, developer tools, and IT insights.
Certifications Offered: No Job Opportunities:
5. Zscaler
Market Capitalization: $31 billion*
Ticker Symbol: ZS
Headquarters: San Jose, Calif.
Origins: Established in 2007 by Jay Chaudhry, Zscaler was founded on the principle of “Zero Trust Security.” This concept mirrors a nightclub bouncer’s approach of granting access only after thorough authentication and verification, reflecting Chaudhry’s humble beginnings in a village without running water.
Overview: Zscaler boasts the world’s most extensive security cloud, with over 150 data centers worldwide. Its suite of services includes Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) for secure user connectivity on the public internet, Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) for shielding enterprise-wide internal applications, and Zscaler Digital Experience (ZDX) for network monitoring to identify user experience and productivity challenges.
Certifications Offered:
Job Opportunities:
Other Notable Cybersecurity Companies in the U.S.
The following list of cybersecurity companies, arranged alphabetically, features prominent names that have significantly contributed to the cybersecurity industry’s growth and advancement.
- (Application networking, load balancing, and DDoS protection)
- (Security, cloud delivery, performance)
- (Cloud backup solutions)
- (Privileged access security)
- (IT, networking, and cybersecurity solutions)
- (Cloud and data center security)
- (Data center and cloud security)
- (Threat intelligence and network security)
- (Endpoint, cloud, and mobile security)
- (Mobile and personal device security)
- (Identity and access management)
- (Cloud security and compliance)
- (Network and cloud security)
When recruiting, many companies value educational background or prior work experience. Fortune has compiled a list of the .
*All company valuations in this article are accurate as of Feb. 27, 2024.