Border0
Border0 provides a zero trust security platform enabling application-aware, passwordless access to servers, databases, Kubernetes clusters, and cloud resources via SSO, serving engineering and DevOps teams. Acquired by Tailscale in March 2026.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersCanadá, Colombia
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Border0 does
Border0 is a zero trust security platform founded in 2019 by Andree Toonk and Bas Toonk, headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. The company provides application-aware secure access to servers, databases, Kubernetes clusters, and cloud applications through an identity-aware proxy architecture, positioning itself as a modern alternative to traditional VPNs. Its core technology enforces Layer 7 access policies tied to user identity via SSO integration (Okta, Google Workspace, Microsoft Entra ID), eliminating shared credentials and SSH keys while providing session logging, replay, and just-in-time access workflows. The platform is built around three core components: the Border0 Connector (a lightweight on-premises daemon that brokers outbound access without public IPs), Border0 Sockets (named resources with identity-aware policies), and Border0 Policies (fine-grained Layer 7 policy engine).
The product surface extends to 20+ modules including AI-powered Session Insights, AI SQL Assistant, web-based Kubernetes/MongoDB/RDP clients, native desktop apps, an iOS mobile app, Terraform provider, Go SDK, and integrations with 25+ tools spanning CI/CD (GitHub Actions, GitLab), identity (Okta SCIM 2.0), ITSM (PagerDuty, Slack), and databases (MongoDB, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MSSQL, Elasticsearch, CockroachDB). Border0 employs a hybrid go-to-market combining a self-serve freemium community edition with enterprise sales outreach, holding SOC 2 Type II certification renewed in 2025.
Border0 was seed-funded in 2022 by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Venrock, and Secure Octane. In March 2026, the company was acquired by Tailscale, a Toronto-based secure connectivity platform provider, combining Tailscale's WireGuard-based mesh networking layer with Border0's application access controls to deliver unified SSH, Kubernetes, database, and RDP access management. Post-acquisition, Border0 operates as part of Tailscale with gradual platform integration planned.
Border0 firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Border0
- Legal name
- Border0 Inc.
- Website
- https://border0.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Border0 provides a zero trust security platform enabling application-aware, passwordless access to servers, databases, Kubernetes clusters, and cloud resources via SSO, serving engineering and DevOps teams. Acquired by Tailscale in March 2026.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Border0 industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Privileged Access Management
- NAICS
- Security Systems Services (except Locksmiths) (561621)
- SIC
- Communications Services, Nec (4899)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Identity & Access Security Services (IAM, PAM, Zero Trust) (BPAKAHAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Network Security Services (Firewall/VPN/ZTNA/SASE Integration) (BPAEAEAG), Access Management & Policy Enforcement (Zero Trust) (BPAMAEAH)
Keywords
Where Border0 is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Canadá
- HQ country
- Colombia
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Border0 business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- SaaS Subscription: Subscription-based access to Border0 platform with tiered pricing based on features and scale. Free community edition available with paid subscriptions for enterprise features.
- Free Services: Free tier available with usage limits. Usage over limits requires purchase of additional resources. Border0 retains right to terminate free access at any time.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free Community Edition - fully featured free tier for individuals and small teams |
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise - custom pricing for larger organizations |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Border0 product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Border0 provides a zero trust security platform that delivers identity-aware, passwordless SSO access to servers, databases, Kubernetes clusters, AWS S3, and applications without exposing resources to the public internet. The platform replaces traditional VPNs and shared SSH credentials with Layer 7 access policies, just-in-time permissions, session recording and replay, and AI-driven session insights, distributed as a SaaS platform with an outbound-only on-prem Connector and Infrastructure-as-Code support via a Terraform provider.
Product overview
Border0 is a zero trust security platform positioned as a modern VPN alternative with application-level security. The platform was acquired by Tailscale in March 2026. The core offering consists of the Border0 platform itself (offering secure access to servers, databases, Kubernetes, and applications via SSO), the Border0 Connector (the on-premises component that brokers access without exposing resources to the public internet), Border0 Sockets (named resources with identity-aware policies), and Border0 Policies (Layer 7 policy engine for fine-grained access control). Supporting modules include Access Requests (just-in-time access with approval workflows), Session Insights (AI-powered session analysis with anomaly detection), AI SQL Assistant (natural language database queries), AI Chatbot (knowledgebase interaction), AWS S3 Socket, Kubernetes Web Client, MongoDB Web Client, Web RDP Client, Border0 Desktop App (macOS/Windows/Linux), Border0 iOS App, Border0 Router (Raspberry Pi gateway), Ephemeral Identities (for automation), Identity Federation (for CI/CD), and RDP Proxy. Infrastructure-as-Code support is provided via the Terraform Provider. The platform integrates with CI/CD tools (GitHub Actions, GitLab, AWS IAM), identity providers (Okta, Google Workspace, Microsoft Entra ID), ITSM tools (PagerDuty, Slack, Vanta), databases (MongoDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MSSQL, Elasticsearch, CockroachDB, RDS, CloudSQL), and cloud platforms (AWS, DigitalOcean, Kubernetes).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Border0 Platform Core zero trust security platform providing identity-aware, passwordless SSO access to servers, databases, Kubernetes clusters, AWS S3, and applications for engineering, DevOps, and security teams; positioned as a modern VPN alternative with application-layer controls, session logging, and just-in-time access policies.
- Border0 Connector Lightweight outbound-only daemon installed inside customer networks that brokers secure access to private systems without exposing them to the public internet, eliminating the need for public IPs or inbound firewall rules.
- Border0 Desktop App Native desktop client for macOS, Windows, and Linux providing smart fuzzy search across Border0 sockets, environment and region grouping, list and tile views, favorites, dark mode, and auto-discovery of installed client tools.
- Border0 iOS App Native iOS mobile application bringing secure, identity-based Border0 access to iPhone and iPad for on-the-go connectivity to private resources.
- Border0 Router Open-source Raspberry Pi-powered secure gateway that extends Border0's zero trust model to home labs or small office networks.
Quantifiable outcome
- Deployment in minutes - connector installation can be completed quickly without complex configuration
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Border0
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Border0 technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration28 records
AI capability8 records
Feature12 records
Border0 partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- TailscaleflagshipBorder0 acquired by Tailscale in March 2026. Tailscale provides best-in-class connectivity layer while Border0 provides application access layer on top, controlling who gets access, when, and what happens during sessions. Combined platform delivers unified secure infrastructure access for SSH, Kubernetes, database, and RDP access management. Border0 team joins Tailscale to build out PAM capabilities.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Border0 competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tailscale: Tailscale is now Border0's parent company but is also its closest comparable: a WireGuard-based secure connectivity platform. Tailscale provides the network layer; Border0 provides the application-aware access layer on top. Combined they form a unified zero trust access platform serving engineering teams with similar DevOps personas.
- Teleport: Teleport is the most direct pure-play competitor in infrastructure access: an identity-aware access proxy for SSH, Kubernetes, databases, and web applications with RBAC, session recording, and audit logging. Teleport and Border0 serve overlapping engineering/SRE buyer personas and compete on similar application-aware, certificate-based authentication features.
- StrongDM: StrongDM provides managed privileged access to databases, servers, and Kubernetes clusters with just-in-time access, session recording, and policy-based controls. Notably, Riskified explicitly replaced StrongDM with Border0 — making StrongDM a directly displaced competitor in Border0's exact target use cases.
- HashiCorp Boundary: HashiCorp Boundary is an open-source identity-based access proxy for infrastructure (sessions to hosts, databases, Kubernetes) built by the Terraform/Vault vendor. It targets the same DevOps engineer buyer persona with session-based, identity-aware access, and shares Border0's IaC-first positioning through its HashiCorp ecosystem.
- Cloudflare Access: Cloudflare Zero Trust / Access is a ZTNA service that brokers identity-aware access to internal applications, SSH, and RDP over Cloudflare's global edge network. It competes head-to-head with Border0 on VPN replacement and zero trust positioning, with the advantage of being bundled into Cloudflare's broader security and networking suite.
Broad incumbents
- Zscaler Private Access: Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) is the ZTNA product of large public security vendor Zscaler, providing identity-based, application-segmented access to enterprise applications and infrastructure. It overlaps with Border0's zero trust access model but is part of a much broader SSE/SASE portfolio targeting large enterprises.
- Okta: Okta is a leading identity provider whose Workforce Identity and Privileged Access (via acquired Workflows/Aman) offerings overlap with Border0's passwordless SSO and identity-aware access positioning. Okta is integrated WITH Border0 (as an IdP) but also increasingly a competitor at the access management layer for large enterprises.
Emerging players
- Pomerium: Pomerium is an open-source, identity-aware reverse proxy providing zero trust access to internal applications, databases, and infrastructure. It targets a similar engineering persona with self-hostable deployment and SSO integration, representing a direct but open-source alternative to Border0's managed service.
- NetBird: NetBird is an open-source WireGuard-based overlay network for secure connectivity, similar in architecture to Tailscale (Border0's parent). While primarily a network-layer solution, NetBird increasingly overlaps with Border0 on secure infrastructure access and targets the same self-hosting and DevOps buyer persona.
- BastionZero (Cloudflare): BastionZero was an open-source zero trust infrastructure access platform that was acquired by Cloudflare in 2024 and integrated into Cloudflare's Access offering. It directly competed with Border0 on certificate-based, passwordless infrastructure access before being absorbed, illustrating the consolidation trend in this category.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Border0 social profiles
Digital presenceBorder0 compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Border0 financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Border0 leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Border0 funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Border0 M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Border0
What does Border0 do?
Border0 provides a zero trust security platform that delivers identity-aware, passwordless SSO access to servers, databases, Kubernetes clusters, AWS S3, and applications without exposing resources to the public internet. The platform replaces traditional VPNs and shared SSH credentials with Layer 7 access policies, just-in-time permissions, session recording and replay, and AI-driven session insights, distributed as a SaaS platform with an outbound-only on-prem Connector and Infrastructure-as-Code support via a Terraform provider.
Is Border0 a public or private company?
Border0 is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Border0 founded?
Border0 was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Border0 based?
Border0 is headquartered in Canadá, Colombia, in the Latin America region.
How does Border0 make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. SaaS Subscription is the primary driver. The others are free Services.
Who are Border0's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tailscale, Teleport, StrongDM, HashiCorp Boundary and Cloudflare Access. Broad incumbents are Zscaler Private Access and Okta. Emerging players are Pomerium, NetBird and BastionZero (Cloudflare).
Does Border0 have an API?
Yes. Border0 provides a public REST API that allows developers to programmatically manage Border0 resources including Connectors, Sockets, Policies, and tokens. The API supports authentication via SSO (OAuth) and is documented at https://docs.border0.com/reference. Border0 also offers a Go SDK for developers, a Terraform provider for Infrastructure-as-Code management of Border0 resources, and a CLI tool for managing resources via the command line. Developer documentation is at docs.border0.com/reference.
What industry is Border0 in?
Border0's product category is Privileged Access Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAKAHAI, Identity & Access Security Services (IAM, PAM, Zero Trust), with a secondary code of BPAEAEAG, Network Security Services (Firewall/VPN/ZTNA/SASE Integration). Its NAICS code is 561621 and its SIC code is 4899.