What bowbridge does

bowbridge Software GmbH is a German private cybersecurity software company founded in 2005 and headquartered in Munich, with additional offices in Walldorf (adjacent to SAP's headquarters) and Palo Alto. The company specializes exclusively in application-layer content security for SAP and Salesforce enterprise environments, addressing the gap that perimeter, endpoint, and email security tools do not inspect content moving inside trusted business applications. Its core offering, bowbridge Anti-Virus, is a modular platform built around the Virus Scan Adapter (VSA) — a shared library loaded directly into the SAP kernel that processes scan requests via SAP's Virus Scan Interface (VSI), an Apache Artemis AMQP 1.0 message broker, and a centralized control module for license and configuration management. The platform uses swappable security workers (MIMEscan, Archive-Extractor, Active Content Detection) and integrates third-party anti-malware engines from Sophos, Trellix (formerly McAfee), Symantec, ClamAV, and ICAP-based servers.

The product portfolio includes bowbridge Anti-Virus for SAP Solutions (available in Local, Distributed, and CloudScan deployments), the 2024-launched bowbridge Anti-Virus Cloud (a Hybrid-SaaS offering), bowbridge Anti-Virus for Salesforce, and bowbridge Application Security for SAP Solutions. Revenue is generated primarily through annual subscription licensing, supplemented by professional services for installation, configuration, training, and policy development, plus optional premium support. Distribution combines direct enterprise field sales with channel access via the SAP PartnerEdge program and co-marketing alliances with major security vendors.

bowbridge serves more than 8,000 installations globally across enterprise customers including General Motors, Honda, Audi, Toyota, IBM, SAP, Walmart, Target, ALDI, LIDL, LEGO, Tyson Foods, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, Aramco, Maersk, UniCredit, PayPal, KPMG, PwC, Roche, Siemens, eBay, LeasePlan, and government entities such as the Australian Government DHS and Centrelink. The company has maintained SAP certification for four consecutive three-year periods (12 years total), signaling sustained compliance with SAP's technical standards and reinforcing its positioning as a specialist in SAP content security.

Name

bowbridge

Legal name

bowbridge Software GmbH

Website

https://bowbridge.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

bowbridge Software GmbH is a German cybersecurity software company that provides application-layer content security — anti-virus, malware scanning, and active content detection — for SAP and Salesforce enterprise environments, serving over 8,000 installations globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Enterprise Application Security

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Email Data Loss Prevention & Encryption (HDADAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Collaboration Security for Chat & Messaging (Teams/Slack) (HDADAKAF)

Keywords

• SAP cybersecurity
• Enterprise application security
• SAP antivirus software
• SAP compliance
• Malware protection

Headquarters

HQ city

Mörfelden-walldorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses and Subscriptions: Annual subscription model for Anti-Virus software licenses. Licenses are controlled by bowbridge Control module and distributed to application server instances. Cloud deployments managed via customer portal with realm-based license pooling.
2. Professional Services: Consulting, implementation, training, policy development services offered as Professional Services add-on for hands-on assistance with installation, configuration, and customization.
3. Premium Support: Premium support available as an option beyond standard support access, providing personalized assistance from initial installation to troubleshooting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

bowbridge Software GmbH develops and sells cybersecurity software purpose-built for SAP and Salesforce enterprise applications. Its offerings deliver antivirus, content security, and application security capabilities that protect business-critical ERP data, business logic, and interfaces from malware, unauthorized access, and tampering.

Product overview

bowbridge is a specialist enterprise content security provider offering a modular security platform focused exclusively on SAP and Salesforce environments. The core portfolio consists of bowbridge Anti-Virus for SAP Solutions (available in on-premises, cloud, and hybrid deployment variants), bowbridge Anti-Virus for Salesforce, and bowbridge Application Security for SAP Solutions. The Anti-Virus platform is built around a modular architecture with core components including the VSA Client (Virus Scan Adapter shared library), Message Broker (AMQP-based communication hub), and Control module (license and configuration management). Security capabilities are delivered through swappable security workers: MIMEscan (content/MIME analysis), Archive-Extractor (recursive archive scanning), Active Content Detection (detects executables, macros, JavaScript in PDFs/Office docs), and optional Anti-Malware workers (SOPHOS, Trellix/McAfee, ClamAV, ICAP Client). Integration workers include Event Handler (SIEM/custom alerts), Quarantine (forensic file storage), and EPOlogger (Trellix ePO integration). All configurations and management for cloud/hybrid deployments are handled through the bowbridge Customer Portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Anti-Virus for SAP Antivirus and content security software that scans files, attachments, and interfaces within SAP systems to detect and block malware before it reaches SAP business processes. Targeted at enterprise IT security teams responsible for SAP landscapes.
• Anti-Virus for Salesforce Antivirus and content security software that scans files and content within Salesforce to protect CRM data and processes from malware. Designed for enterprise IT and security teams running Salesforce at scale.
• Application Security for SAP Application security software that monitors and protects SAP business logic, custom code, and interfaces from unauthorized changes, tampering, and exploitation. Targeted at SAP security, basis, and compliance teams in large enterprises.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8,175+ worldwide installations protecting SAP systems of leading enterprises
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers29 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SAP (PartnerEdge Program)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2005Long-standing partnership with SAP as part of the PartnerEdge program. bowbridge Anti-Virus has met SAP's rigorous certification standards for four consecutive periods of three years each. This partnership provides access to SAP's customer base and positions bowbridge as the recommended security solution for SAP environments.
• SOPHOScoreTechnology or IntegrationSecurity technology partnership for anti-malware scanning. bowbridge delivers the Sophos anti-virus scan engine as part of bowbridge Anti-Virus and relays malware definition updates within ten minutes of release.
• Trellix (formerly McAfee)coreTechnology or IntegrationSecurity technology partnership providing Trellix anti-virus scan engine integration. bowbridge delivers the Trellix scan engine as part of bowbridge Anti-Virus and relays malware definition updates within ten minutes of release.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Pathlock: Pathlock provides access governance and application security for SAP and other ERP systems. It is an emerging player with overlapping SAP buyer personas, though its focus is more on access controls than content security.
• Menlo Security: Menlo Security provides content and web threat isolation that addresses application-layer content risks in enterprise workflows. It is an emerging player with partial overlap in the 'content-borne threats' problem space.

Direct peers

• SecurityBridge: SecurityBridge is a direct peer offering a unified SAP cybersecurity platform covering code security, vulnerability management, and application-layer monitoring. It competes head-to-head with bowbridge for SAP security budget.
• Glasswall Solutions: Glasswall offers CDR-based file protection that inspects and rebuilds documents to remove threats, overlapping with bowbridge's content disarm and active-content detection capabilities for enterprise file workflows.
• Votiro: Votiro provides Content Disarm & Reconstruction (CDR) technology that sanitizes files at the content layer — directly comparable to bowbridge's MIMEscan, Archive-Extractor, and Active Content Detection security workers.
• Onapsis: Onapsis is a direct competitor specializing in cybersecurity and compliance for SAP and Oracle enterprise applications. Both companies target SAP security buyers with deep, application-layer protections, competing for the same niche.

Others

• Trend Micro: Trend Micro is a broad cybersecurity incumbent whose ICAP-based scan engines are referenced in bowbridge's own integration documentation. It is an ecosystem participant (technology/integration partner) rather than a direct competitor.
• Trellix (McAfee Enterprise): Trellix supplies the anti-malware scan engine that bowbridge embeds and relays updates from within ten minutes of release. It is a critical technology partner, but at the platform level Trellix's broader suite could compete with bowbridge for security budget.

Broad incumbents

• SAP NS2: SAP NS2 is the U.S. national security-focused arm of SAP and a broad incumbent inside the same ecosystem. SAP itself controls the VSI interface that bowbridge integrates with, making SAP both a partner and a structural competitor.
• Fortra (formerly HelpSystems): Fortra is a broad security incumbent with a sizeable portfolio that includes SAP-focused security and automation products. It competes indirectly by offering a wider suite that can substitute for some of bowbridge's functionality.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bowbridge_softw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bowbridge

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 bowbridge