Pulse Secure
Pulse Secure, founded in 2014 and acquired by Ivanti in 2020, provided enterprise secure access solutions — SSL VPN, zero trust network access, network access control, and centralized policy management — to large enterprises and government/defense customers via enterprise field sales.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersSan Jose, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Pulse Secure does
Pulse Secure was an enterprise secure access vendor headquartered in San Jose, California, formed in 2014 when Siris Capital acquired the Junos Pulse business from Juniper Networks and simultaneously acquired MobileSpaces to add mobile security capabilities. The company sold a focused suite of on-premises and hybrid secure access products: Pulse Connect Secure (SSL VPN for remote workforce access), Pulse Policy Secure (Network Access Control for endpoint policy enforcement), Pulse Zero Trust Access (PZTA, a zero-trust framework reducing reliance on traditional VPNs), Pulse Secure Access Client (endpoint client software), and Pulse One, a centralized policy management plane launched in 2015 that unified policy across endpoints, mobile devices, and on-premises/cloud applications.
The company served primarily large enterprises and government/defense organizations with complex hybrid network environments, sold through an enterprise field sales motion with quote-based pricing and 24/7 technical support, and generated revenue predominantly via recurring software licensing and subscriptions plus support and maintenance services. Pulse Secure was acquired by Ivanti on December 1, 2020, and its product portfolio has since been rebranded under the Ivanti label (Ivanti Connect Secure, Ivanti Policy Secure, Ivanti Neurons for Zero Trust Access, Ivanti Secure Access Client). Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the standalone Pulse Secure entity no longer operates as an independent business unit; the customer base contracted from approximately 50,000 to 34,000 following publicized vulnerabilities exploited by Chinese state-sponsored actors and subsequent CISA-mandated disconnections at U.S. federal agencies and defense customers.
Pulse Secure firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pulse Secure
- Legal name
- Pulse Secure
- Website
- https://pulsesecure.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Pulse Secure, founded in 2014 and acquired by Ivanti in 2020, provided enterprise secure access solutions — SSL VPN, zero trust network access, network access control, and centralized policy management — to large enterprises and government/defense customers via enterprise field sales.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pulse Secure industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Enterprise Network Security
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Software-Defined Perimeter (SDP) / Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) (HDADABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Identity Orchestration & Policy (Zero Trust Access, Conditional Access) (HDADAAAL), Network Security Services (Firewall/VPN/ZTNA/SASE Integration) (BPAEAEAG)
Keywords
Where Pulse Secure is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Jose
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Pulse Secure business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Enterprise Software Licenses and Subscriptions: Pulse Secure generates revenue through enterprise software licensing and subscription models for its secure access product suite including VPN, zero trust, and NAC solutions
- Support and Maintenance Services: Provides 24/7 technical support, software updates, and maintenance services to enterprise customers
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Pulse Secure product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pulse Secure delivered enterprise secure access solutions spanning Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), SSL VPN remote access, Network Access Control (NAC), and mobile device security. Its product suite included Pulse Zero Trust Access (PZTA), Pulse Connect Secure, Pulse Policy Secure, Pulse Secure Access Client, and the Pulse One centralized policy management platform. Since the December 1, 2020 acquisition by Ivanti, the portfolio has been rebranded under the Ivanti brand.
Product overview
Pulse Secure was a standalone company formed in 2014 when Siris Capital acquired the Junos Pulse business from Juniper Networks. The company delivered enterprise secure access solutions including Pulse Zero Trust Access (PZTA), Pulse Connect Secure (VPN), Pulse Policy Secure (Network Access Control), and Pulse Secure Access Client. These products provided comprehensive secure access for workforce productivity through seamless mobility and mobile security. Pulse Secure was acquired by Ivanti on December 1, 2020, and the product portfolio has since been rebranded under the Ivanti name.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Pulse Zero Trust Access (PZTA) Zero Trust Access solution providing secure enterprise access with continuous verification and least-privilege access controls for organizations adopting zero trust security models.
- Pulse Connect Secure Enterprise SSL VPN solution providing secure remote access to corporate networks and applications for distributed enterprise workforces.
- Pulse Policy Secure Network Access Control (NAC) solution for enforcing security policies and controlling endpoint access to corporate networks.
- Pulse Secure Access Client Endpoint client software providing secure connectivity to corporate networks and cloud resources for enterprise users.
- Pulse One Centralized policy management platform launched in 2015 that enabled secure access for all endpoints and mobile devices to corporate applications on-premises and in the cloud.
Companies that use Pulse Secure
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Pulse Secure technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Pulse Secure partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- IvanticoreIvanti acquired Pulse Secure on December 1, 2020, integrating Pulse Secure's zero trust and VPN products into Ivanti's security portfolio, with products now branded as Ivanti solutions.
- MobileSpacescorePulse Secure acquired MobileSpaces, a leading mobile security provider, in 2014 to strengthen its mobile security capabilities.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Pulse Secure competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Netskope: Netskope Private Access is a direct ZTNA competitor to Pulse Secure PZTA, with a cloud-native SSE architecture aimed at the same enterprise secure access buyer.
- MobileIron: Acquired by Ivanti on the same day as Pulse Secure (December 1, 2020); MobileIron's mobile device management capabilities are now integrated with Pulse Secure's network access control products.
- Cloudflare (Cloudflare Access / Magic WAN): Cloudflare Access provides ZTNA as a cloud-native service directly competing with Pulse Secure PZTA; targets the same enterprise secure access use case with a developer-friendly architecture.
- Okta: Okta Workforce Identity and Okta Identity Governance compete with Pulse Secure's identity and access policy capabilities and increasingly overlap in the zero trust access stack.
- Zscaler: Cloud-native Zero Trust and SSE leader whose Zscaler Private Access directly competes with Pulse Secure's ZTNA product line; both target the same enterprise secure access use case.
Broad incumbents
- F5 (NGINX Plus / Distributed Cloud): F5 BIG-IP APM and NGINX Plus provide VPN replacement and zero trust application access comparable to Pulse Connect Secure and PZTA; F5 also acquired the Brocade vADC business that Pulse Secure previously acquired.
- Fortinet (FortiGate / FortiClient): FortiGate VPN and FortiGate ZTNA compete directly with Pulse Connect Secure and PZTA, particularly in enterprise and government segments with on-premises deployment preferences.
- Palo Alto Networks (Prisma Access): Prisma Access delivers cloud-delivered ZTNA and SASE that competes head-to-head with Pulse Secure's VPN and zero trust offerings; broader cybersecurity incumbent portfolio.
- Cisco (Secure Access / AnyConnect): Cisco AnyConnect/secure client VPN and Duo Security IAM compete with Pulse Connect Secure and PZTA; Cisco is a broad incumbent in enterprise networking and security.
Emerging players
- Tailscale: Emerging WireGuard-based zero trust networking platform gaining enterprise traction as a lightweight alternative to legacy VPN/ZTNA appliances like Pulse Connect Secure.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks1 record
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Pulse Secure social profiles
Digital presencePulse Secure financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pulse Secure leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Pulse Secure subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Pulse Secure funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pulse Secure M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pulse Secure
What does Pulse Secure do?
Pulse Secure delivered enterprise secure access solutions spanning Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), SSL VPN remote access, Network Access Control (NAC), and mobile device security. Its product suite included Pulse Zero Trust Access (PZTA), Pulse Connect Secure, Pulse Policy Secure, Pulse Secure Access Client, and the Pulse One centralized policy management platform. Since the December 1, 2020 acquisition by Ivanti, the portfolio has been rebranded under the Ivanti brand.
Is Pulse Secure a public or private company?
Pulse Secure is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Pulse Secure founded?
Pulse Secure was founded in 2014. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Pulse Secure based?
Pulse Secure is headquartered in San Jose, United States, in the North America region.
How does Pulse Secure make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Enterprise Software Licenses and Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are support and Maintenance Services.
Who are Pulse Secure's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Netskope, MobileIron, Cloudflare (Cloudflare Access / Magic WAN), Okta and Zscaler. Broad incumbents are F5 (NGINX Plus / Distributed Cloud), Fortinet (FortiGate / FortiClient), Palo Alto Networks (Prisma Access) and Cisco (Secure Access / AnyConnect). Tailscale is listed as an emerging player.
Does Pulse Secure have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pulse Secure.
What industry is Pulse Secure in?
Pulse Secure's product category is Enterprise Network Security. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDADABAC, Software-Defined Perimeter (SDP) / Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), with a secondary code of HDADAAAL, Identity Orchestration & Policy (Zero Trust Access, Conditional Access). Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7370.