What Cohesive Networks does

Cohesive Networks, LLC is a Chicago-based cloud networking and security software company founded in 2006 and spun out of parent Cohesive Flexible Technologies Corporation in 2015 to focus exclusively on its VNS3 (Virtual Network Services Cloud) platform. VNS3 is an API-driven cloud edge controller delivered as a sealed virtual appliance (hardened Ubuntu Linux) that provides firewall, router, VPN, NAT, WAN and load-balancer functionality from a single image, deployable on AWS, Azure, GCP, IBM Cloud or any IaaS via Terraform, CloudFormation or ARM templates and managed programmatically through a REST API and Python SDK. The portfolio extends VNS3 with a Network Edge Plugin System for containerized network functions (Datadog, Nginx/WAF, Let's Encrypt, Suricata, ntop, CloudWatch), VNS3:ms for fleet management, and a SASE solution family spanning Customer Connect, Partner Connect, Workforce Service, Data Ingestion, On-Premise Cloud and Multicloud API Edges. A fully managed alternative, SecurePass, runs the customer's network on Cohesive's behalf.

The company monetizes VNS3 through tiered monthly subscriptions (Free; Lite $150/month; SME $350/month; Enterprise from $750/month), cloud marketplace sales across AWS, Azure and GCP, managed-service contracts under SecurePass priced $2,500-$5,000/month, and high-touch support plans ranging from free basic support to Enterprise 24x7 starting at $40,000/year. Distribution is hybrid: cloud marketplace listings for self-service discovery, channel partners for VAR-led mid-market reach, and direct sales for enterprise deals with regulatory requirements (HIPAA, PCI DSS, SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, GDPR). Cohesive serves regulated buyers in healthcare, financial services, government, energy and telecommunications, with named customers spanning Thales, Pegasystems, Infor, TIBCO, Webroot, Guidewire, Cotiviti, HERE Technologies, Aptean, Rescale and AFGE. Headcount sits in the 11-50 range, only one institutional capital event ($1.2M from OCA Ventures in 2007) is disclosed, and revenue is not publicly reported.

Name

Cohesive Networks

Legal name

Cohesive Networks, LLC

Website

https://cohesive.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cohesive Networks, founded 2006 and based in Chicago, sells VNS3, an API-driven cloud edge controller delivering firewall, VPN, NAT and routing as a single virtual appliance across AWS, Azure, GCP, IBM Cloud and on-premises environments, serving enterprise buyers in healthcare, financial services, government and other regulated industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cloud Networking Software

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518210)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Cloud Networking & SDN/NFV Management (HDABABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Multi-Cloud Connectivity & Cloud Exchange Platforms (HDABALAG), Cloud Networking & Virtual Networking (VPC/VNet) (HDABAFAG), Cloud On-Ramps & Direct Connect Services (HDABALAA)

Keywords

• Cloud networking
• Network security
• Cloud VPN
• SASE solutions
• Multicloud connectivity

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. VNS3 Software Licenses: Subscription-based licensing for VNS3 controller software across four tiers: Free Edition (1 production license, 5 clientpacks, 1 IPsec endpoint), Lite Edition ($150/month), SME Edition ($350/month), and Enterprise Edition ($750/month starting). Tiered by number of controllers, clientpacks, IPsec endpoints, and container slots.
2. Cloud Marketplace Revenue: Revenue from selling VNS3 products through AWS Marketplace, Azure Marketplace, and GCP private image sharing. Customers pay cloud provider for runtime plus Cohesive for software license.
3. SecurePass Managed Services: Managed service offering where Cohesive Networks runs the customer's cloud network. Pricing tiers: $2,500 (Unregulated, 99.9% uptime), $3,500 (Regulated, 99.9% uptime), $4,000 (Unregulated, 99.99% uptime), $5,000 (Regulated, 99.99% uptime). Includes 24x7 monitoring, Level 1-3 support, and VNS3:ms management.
4. Technical Support Services: Tiered support including Basic (free forum support, 12 business hour response), Enhanced Support ($1,500/10 units, 4 business hour response), and Standard 24x7 Support ($8,000/year with 20 support units). Enterprise 24x7 plans start at $40,000/year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cohesive Networks develops and sells VNS3, an API-driven cloud edge controller that delivers firewall, routing, VPN, NAT, load balancing, and WAN capabilities as a single integrated appliance for multicloud networks. The platform enables enterprises to build, secure, and automate encrypted overlay networks across AWS, Azure, GCP, IBM Cloud, and on-premise environments, with a plugin system for extensible containerized network functions.

Product overview

Cohesive Networks offers VNS3 (Virtual Network Services 3), an API-driven cloud edge controller platform that provides comprehensive networking and security capabilities. The core VNS3 platform delivers firewall, router, VPN, NAT, load balancer, and network segmentation functions in a single device. The product portfolio includes Cloud Firewall, Cloud VPN, Cloud NAT (NATe), Cloud WAN, and People VPN as add-on modules, plus a Network Edge Plugin System for extensibility with containerized functions like Datadog, Nginx/WAF, Suricata, and others. VNS3:ms provides centralized management for multiple controllers. SecurePass is a fully managed service option. The company also offers a family of SASE solutions including Customer Connect Edge, Partner Connect Edge, Data Ingestion Edge, On-Premise Cloud Edge, Multicloud API Edge, and Workforce Service Edge. VNS3 is available across major cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP, IBM Cloud) and supports IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack operation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VNS3: API-driven cloud edge controller providing connectivity, security and flexibility for multicloud networks. Includes Cloud Firewall, Cloud VPN, Cloud NAT, Cloud WAN, People VPN, and Network Edge Plugins.
• SecurePass
• VNS3 NATe

Products and services

• VNS3 (Virtual Network Services 3) API-driven cloud edge controller providing full ownership of cloud networking; functions as an all-in-one networking device delivering firewall, router, VPN, NAT, load balancer, and network segmentation for enterprise multicloud deployments.
• Cloud Firewall

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduce NAT Gateway costs by 70% compared to cloud provider alternatives
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreTechnology or IntegrationCohesive is a member of the Amazon Partner Network and an Amazon Marketplace Seller. VNS3 is available in AWS Marketplace with Free, Lite, NATe, PeopleVPN, and BYOL editions. Customers can launch via AWS Console, Terraform, or CloudFormation. AWS Quickstart available for HIPAA-compliant deployments.
• Microsoft AzurecoreTechnology or IntegrationCohesive Networks is Microsoft Azure certified. VNS3 available in Azure Marketplace with Free, Lite, BYOL, NATe, and PeopleVPN offerings. ARM templates available for deployment. Azure Quickstart for HIPAA-compliant architecture.
• Google Cloud Platform (GCP)coreTechnology or IntegrationCohesive is a Google Cloud Platform Authorized Technology Partner. VNS3 available via private image sharing directly to customer GCP accounts. Terraform templates available.
• IBM CloudcoreTechnology or IntegrationCohesive is an IBM Business Partner. VNS3 available for IBM Cloud deployment.
• Channel PartnerssupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChannel partners add VNS3 security features as part of complete portfolio offerings. Partners receive subscription revenue sharing and can add profitable margin through reselling.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Zscaler: Zscaler is a leader in SSE/SASE, offering cloud-native secure web gateway, ZTNA, and cloud firewall services — competing with Cohesive's People VPN, Workforce Service Edge, and Cloud Firewall offerings for distributed workforce security.
• Cato Networks: Cato SASE Cloud converges SD-WAN, security, and ZTNA into a single global cloud service, competing with Cohesive's overlay-based multi-cloud networking and SASE stack for mid-market and enterprise customers.
• Cisco (Cisco+ Secure Cloud / Cisco SD-WAN): Cisco offers a broad portfolio of enterprise networking, SD-WAN, and cloud security products that compete with VNS3 in hybrid/multi-cloud connectivity and secure edge scenarios — typically as part of a much larger bundled infrastructure sale.
• Palo Alto Networks (Prisma Access / Prisma Cloud): Palo Alto's Prisma SASE and cloud security portfolio is a direct competitor to Cohesive's SASE solutions (Customer Connect Edge, Workforce Service Edge) for enterprise secure access and cloud-delivered networking.
• Cloudflare: Cloudflare's Magic WAN, Magic Transit, and Cloudflare One SASE platform overlap with VNS3's WAN, firewall, and secure connectivity capabilities, and increasingly target the same regulated-vertical customers.
• VMware NSX (Broadcom): VMware NSX is a broad-incumbent network virtualization and micro-segmentation platform spanning data center and cloud environments, frequently listed as an alternative for overlay networking and policy-driven segmentation that VNS3 addresses.

Emerging players

• F5 (NGINX / Distributed Cloud): F5's NGINX and Distributed Cloud Services offer API gateway, load balancing, and multi-cloud app delivery — adjacent to VNS3's load balancer and network edge plugin functionality (F5 even appears in Cohesive's plugin ecosystem as Nginx/WAF).

Direct peers

• HashiCorp (now IBM): HashiCorp Consul and Vault address adjacent cloud-networking and secure-service-connectivity problems for multi-cloud applications, and are often evaluated alongside VNS3 by platform engineering teams building multi-cloud overlays.
• Alkira: Alkira provides a network-as-a-service platform for multi-cloud and hybrid connectivity with built-in segmentation, routing, and security — competing head-to-head with VNS3 for enterprises seeking unified cloud network fabrics without per-vendor stitching.
• Aviatrix: Aviatrix is the closest direct competitor, offering a cloud network platform that delivers multi-cloud transit, encryption, and observability across AWS, Azure, GCP, and OCI — directly overlapping VNS3's core overlay networking and multi-cloud connectivity proposition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCxUHpNVW5jKLpxoTV27qx6A
• Xx.com/cohesivenet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cohesive-networks

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cohesive Networks