What Solid Border does

Solid Border, Inc. is a Texas-based boutique cybersecurity Value-Added Reseller (VAR) founded in 2002 and headquartered in San Antonio, operating with a small distributed team across the United States (1–10 employees). The company does not build proprietary technology platforms; its core business is reselling third-party cybersecurity products from a curated vendor roster spanning roughly 30+ providers — anchored on Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewalls, Barracuda Networks email and web security, KnowBe4 security awareness training, Rapid7 vulnerability management and SIEM, and SecureW2 cloud PKI and RADIUS. Distribution is concentrated through Texas-specific public-sector procurement vehicles, principally the state DIR cooperative contracts (DIR-CPO-4850 for IT Security hardware, software, and services; DIR-TSO-5843 for Software and SaaS, including TX-RAMP certified cloud offerings) and the BuyBoard purchasing program managed by the Texas Association of School Boards.

The business model is a sales-led, quote-based VAR model targeting Texas governmental entities, K–12 public educational institutions, and qualifying nonprofits and political subdivisions. Revenue is generated primarily through product resales with implicit markup on multi-year contracts; the relationship economics are reinforced by professional and managed services including Palo Alto Networks firewall check-ups, new firewall setup, rule migration, NGFW conversion, managed firewall consulting, vulnerability testing, and penetration testing. CEO and Lead Systems Engineer Derek del Barrio (25+ years in IT security, Palo Alto expertise since 2009) acts as both commercial and technical lead, and the company uses long-form, engineer-authored technical blog content (SNMP v3 migration guides, PAN-OS automation via SecureCRT, K–12 SafeSearch enforcement) as a credibility and top-of-funnel marketing asset.

Customer concentration is high by geography (Texas only) and vertical (state and local government plus K–12 education), with no disclosed logos of Fortune-grade enterprise accounts; the company's competitive position rests less on scale or proprietary IP than on approved-vendor status in cooperative procurement channels and demonstrable hands-on expertise with Palo Alto Networks and adjacent cybersecurity stacks. Adjacent services include e-waste recycling and OEM trade-in programs with Apple, Cisco, HP, Extreme Networks, and Dell Reconnect, which provide minor lifecycle wallet expansion but are not material to the core revenue mix.

Name

Solid Border

Legal name

Solid Border, Inc.

Website

https://solidborder.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Solid Border is a San Antonio-based boutique cybersecurity Value-Added Reseller serving Texas state and local government agencies, K-12 schools, and nonprofits. The company resells Palo Alto Networks, Barracuda, KnowBe4, Rapid7, and SecureW2 products via Texas DIR and BuyBoard cooperative contracts, complemented by firewall implementation and security testing services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity Value-Added Reseller

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)

akta.pro primary industry

Network Security Managed Services (Firewall/IDS/IPS/SASE) (BPAEADAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) & Secure SD-WAN (HDAIAFAH)

Keywords

• Cybersecurity value-added reseller
• Network security products
• Firewall professional services
• Government IT procurement
• Security awareness training

Headquarters

HQ city

San Antonio

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cybersecurity Product Resale: Resells cybersecurity hardware, software, and services from multiple Tier 1 and additional vendors to Texas governmental and educational entities through DIR cooperative contracts. Revenue generated through product markups and potentially managed services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Solid Border is a Texas-based boutique cybersecurity Value-Added Reseller that sells and implements third-party cybersecurity hardware, software, and SaaS—primarily Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls, Barracuda Networks, KnowBe4, Rapid7, and SecureW2—to Texas governmental entities and public educational institutions via DIR cooperative contracts and BuyBoard. The company complements this resale business with professional services including firewall check-up, setup and migration, rule conversion, vulnerability testing, and penetration testing. Its model combines pre-vetted cooperative procurement channels with engineer-curated product selection rather than broad-line reselling.

Product overview

Solid Border is a Texas-based Cybersecurity boutique Value-Added Reseller (VAR) offering a portfolio of security products and services. The core offering includes resale and implementation of cybersecurity vendor products—particularly Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls, Barracuda Networks security solutions, KnowBe4 security awareness training, Rapid7 vulnerability management/SIEM, and SecureW2 cloud PKI/RADIUS—through Texas DIR cooperative contracts (DIR-CPO-4850 for ITS hardware/software/services and DIR-TSO-5843 for software/SaaS) and BuyBoard purchasing programs for governmental and educational entities. The company complements its resale business with professional services including firewall setup/migration, vulnerability testing, and penetration testing. The product model is a platform-plus-modules architecture where Solid Border serves as the primary point of sale and implementation partner for vendor products, with separate contracts covering different product categories and purchasing mechanisms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cybersecurity Resale Services Boutique Value-Added Reseller offering cybersecurity products from selected vendors including Barracuda Networks, KnowBe4, Palo Alto Networks, Rapid7, and SecureW2 to Texas governmental and educational entities at discounted prices through Texas DIR and BuyBoard cooperative purchasing programs.
• Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls Next-generation firewalls utilizing application-based and user directory-based security approaches to protect networks against modern advanced threats; Solid Border provides setup, migration, and management services alongside product resale.
• Barracuda Networks Products Email, web, and network security solutions plus backup and archiving products including Office 365 and Email protection, SSL VPN, and related security products.
• KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training Security awareness training platform with library of videos, games, posters, newsletters, and simulated phishing, vishing, and smishing content to empower users against social engineering.
• Rapid7 Vulnerability Management and SIEM InsightVM platform scans networks for assets and vulnerabilities to assess risk and exposure; InsightIDR provides user behavior analytics, monitoring, and EDR for SIEM functionality with integrations to Palo Alto Networks and Thycotic.
• SecureW2 Cloud PKI and RADIUS Cloud-managed PKI and RADIUS platform that replaces credential-based authentication with digital certificates for secure 802.1X Wi-Fi, VPN, and web application access, with integrations for identity and device management providers.
• Firewall Services Firewall check-up (misconfiguration identification and recommendations), new firewall setup (Palo Alto Networks NGFW installation, pre-setup updates, rule migration, VPN tunnel transfers), conversion services (migration of existing firewall rules to Palo Alto Networks NGFW), and firewall management consulting.
• Network Security Testing Services Vulnerability testing scans networks or applications to identify weaknesses ranked by severity for prioritized remediation; penetration testing attempts to exploit identified weaknesses to determine actual network compromise risks.
• E-Waste Recycling Services Trade-in program collaborating with Apple, Cisco, Extreme, and HP for proper recycling of old equipment; partnership with Dell's Reconnect Program for items outside manufacturer programs.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Texas DIR (Department of Information Resources)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSolid Border is an approved VAR offering products through DIR cooperative contracts DIR-CPO-4850 and DIR-TSO-5843. These contracts allow Texas governmental and public educational entities to purchase cybersecurity products at discounted prices.
• BuyBoard (Texas Association of School Boards)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSolid Border is an approved vendor on BuyBoard, an electronic purchasing system created by the Local Government Purchasing Cooperative managed by the Texas Association of School Boards. Free membership available to Texas local governments, nonprofits, and political subdivisions.
• Dell Reconnect ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerE-waste recycling partnership for items outside manufacturer programs. Solid Border partners with Dell's Reconnect Program to manage electronic waste responsibly for customers disposing of old equipment.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• SHI International: SHI is a large, broad-line IT VAR that carries most of the same cybersecurity vendors as Solid Border (Palo Alto Networks, KnowBe4, Barracuda, etc.) and serves state and local government customers. It competes with Solid Border on Texas public-sector procurements at much greater scale.
• Connection Public Sector: Connection (PC Connection) operates a dedicated public-sector division that resells security, networking, and end-user computing products to government and education customers, carrying many of the same vendors as Solid Border and competing for the same state contract awards.
• Carahsoft: Carahsoft is the dominant government IT VAR in the US, holding many of the same DIR, TX-RAMP, and state-cooperative contracts Solid Border competes against. Its massive public-sector catalog directly overlaps with Solid Border's Texas government and education procurement focus.
• CDW Government: CDW Government is a large IT VAR serving K-12, higher education, and state/local government, carrying most of the same networking and security product lines as Solid Border. It is a primary competitor for Texas DIR and BuyBoard awards.
• ePlus Technology: ePlus is a broad IT solutions and VAR firm with a meaningful security practice (Palo Alto, Splunk, Rapid7 and similar vendors) and serves state/local government and education markets. It competes with Solid Border for Texas cooperative purchasing contracts at larger scale.

Direct peers

• Optiv: Optiv is one of the largest pure-play cybersecurity VARs and solution providers in the US, reselling the same firewalls, IAM, and vulnerability management products as Solid Border while also delivering advisory and managed security services. It is the scaled-up analogue of Solid Border's go-to-market.
• GuidePoint Security: GuidePoint Security is a cybersecurity-focused value-added reseller and services provider, closely matching Solid Border's VAR-plus-services model with a similar vendor portfolio (Palo Alto, Rapid7, KnowBe4, CrowdStrike). It represents a direct competitor for the same Texas agency and education customers.
• Trace3: Trace3 is a technology VAR and solutions provider focused on data center, networking, and cybersecurity, with strong practices around Palo Alto Networks and similar vendors to Solid Border. Its enterprise and public-sector footprint makes it a relevant scaled peer.

Regional players

• Iron Bow Technologies: Iron Bow Technologies is a government-focused IT solutions provider delivering security, networking, and collaboration products to federal, state, and education customers. It shares Solid Border's Texas and public-sector orientation and overlaps on the same cybersecurity OEM partners.

Emerging players

• Layered Defense IT: Layered Defense IT is a smaller, Texas-based cybersecurity services provider focused on compliance and security architecture for state agencies and K-12. It is comparable to Solid Border at a similar small-business scale and competes for the same public-sector procurement channel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Solid Border