What VanDyke Software does

VanDyke Software, Inc. is a privately held, founder-led software company headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that develops secure remote-access and file-transfer products built on the Secure Shell (SSH2) protocol. Founded in 1995 by CEO Jeff P. Van Dyke — the original developer of the CRT terminal emulator — the company sells a tightly focused portfolio of three core products: SecureCRT (terminal emulation client supporting SSH, Telnet, and related protocols), SecureFX (secure file transfer client supporting SFTP, FTPS, HTTPS, SCP, and FTP), and VShell Server (SSH server for Windows and UNIX). Supporting offerings include VanDyke ClientPack for command-line automation and the legacy CRT and AbsoluteFTP brands. Products run on Windows, macOS, Linux, and iOS, and are FIPS 140-2 validated for federal and regulated-enterprise buyers.

Name

VanDyke Software

Legal name

VanDyke Software, Inc.

Website

https://vandyke.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secure Remote Access Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

VPN Gateways & Concentrators (IPsec/SSL) (HDAFAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Identity, Access & Key Management (IAM/KMS) as Cloud Core Services (HDABAAAH)

Keywords

• Secure shell software
• Terminal emulation
• Secure file transfer
• SSH client server
• Remote access software

Headquarters

HQ city

Albuquerque

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software License Sales: VanDyke Software generates revenue through the sale of software licenses for SecureCRT, SecureFX, and VShell products. Licenses are sold as perpetual one-time purchases with optional maintenance/support subscriptions for updates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

VanDyke Software develops and sells a suite of Secure Shell (SSH2) based security and connectivity products for IT professionals and system administrators. The portfolio includes SecureCRT (terminal emulation client), SecureFX (secure file transfer client), and VShell Server (SSH server), sold primarily as perpetual licenses with optional maintenance subscriptions. Products support Windows, macOS, Linux, and UNIX platforms and provide FIPS 140-2 compliant encryption for secure remote access, terminal sessions, and managed file transfers.

Product overview

VanDyke Software provides a suite of secure remote access and file transfer products centered on the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol. The core portfolio consists of three main products: SecureCRT (terminal emulation client), SecureFX (secure file transfer client), and VShell Server (secure Shell server). Additionally, the company offers VanDyke ClientPack for command-line automation, CRT as the foundational terminal emulator, and the AbsoluteFTP brand. SecureCRT and SecureFX serve as client applications for end users requiring secure terminal access and file transfers, while VShell Server provides the server-side component for organizations deploying their own secure SSH infrastructure. All products emphasize strong encryption, cross-platform support (Windows, macOS, Linux), and professional-grade features including scripting, session management, and compliance with security standards like FIPS 140-2.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SecureCRT: Rock-solid terminal emulation client supporting SSH, Telnet, and other protocols for secure remote access.
• SecureFX
• VShell
• CRT

Products and services

• SecureCRT Rock-solid terminal emulation client with advanced session management and multi-protocol support (SSH1, SSH2, Telnet, Telnet/TLS, Rlogin, serial, TAPI). Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, and iOS. Targets IT professionals and system administrators needing secure remote access to Windows, UNIX, Linux, and VMS systems.
• SecureFX

Quantifiable outcome

• Saved 25% compared to other evaluated products
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• FastSpringminorOthersFastSpring is used as the third-party eCommerce provider for processing international orders. It is a required service provider during the checkout process, with the JSESSIONID cookie being essential for the checkout session. This is a transactional relationship for payment processing.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• mRemoteNG: mRemoteNG is an open-source, tabbed multi-protocol remote connections manager supporting RDP, SSH, VNC, and others. It competes with SecureCRT in the unified remote-session management niche.
• Termius: Termius is a modern, cross-platform (Windows/macOS/Linux/iOS/Android) SSH client with a freemium SaaS model. It targets the same sysadmin/DevOps persona as SecureCRT but with a younger, cloud-synced product experience.
• Royal TS: Royal TS is a multi-protocol remote management tool (RDP, VNC, SSH) targeting sysadmins and engineers. It competes with SecureCRT's session management value proposition, particularly for users managing mixed-protocol environments.
• KiTTY: KiTTY is a fork of PuTTY focused on Windows with added features like session filters and portable operation. It targets the same SSH client buyer as SecureCRT and competes primarily on price in the SMB/sysadmin segment.

Direct peers

• WinSCP: WinSCP is a popular free SFTP/SCP client for Windows, competing head-to-head with SecureFX for secure file transfer workflows. It serves the same IT professional segment with overlapping functionality.
• SSH Communications Security (Tectia): SSH Communications Security's Tectia suite provides commercial SSH client and server software with enterprise support and FIPS-validated cryptography, directly competing with VShell Server and SecureCRT in regulated enterprise environments.
• PuTTY: PuTTY is the most widely used free open-source SSH/Telnet client for Windows, the canonical direct competitor to SecureCRT in the SSH client category. It addresses the same sysadmin remote access use case at zero price.
• Bitvise: Bitvise offers SSH client and SSH/SFTP server software for Windows, directly competing with VanDyke's SecureCRT, SecureFX, and VShell. It targets the same IT/sysadmin buyer with secure remote access and file transfer capabilities.

Others

• OpenSSH: OpenSSH is the de facto open-source SSH implementation bundled with most Linux/UNIX distributions. While not a direct commercial competitor, it sets the baseline against which VanDyke's premium SSH server (VShell) must justify its price.

Broad incumbents

• Solar-PuTTY (SolarWinds): SolarWinds offers free Solar-PuTTY as a session manager alongside its broader systems management portfolio (Dameware, N-central). It competes with SecureCRT on tabbed session management while leveraging SolarWinds' installed enterprise base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/vandykesoftware
• Xx.com/VanDykeSoftware

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 VanDyke Software