SerNet, Inc.
SerNet, Inc. is the US subsidiary of Germany's SerNet GmbH, commercializing and supporting two open source product lines — SAMBA+ enterprise Samba (Active Directory IAM, high-performance SMB, cluster support) and verinice open source GRC (ISO 27001, GDPR, NIS2) — for enterprise customers ranging from startups to Fortune 500.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What SerNet, Inc. does
SerNet, Inc. is a privately held US software company headquartered at 101 Montgomery St in San Francisco, operating since 2004 as the wholly-owned US subsidiary of SerNet GmbH (founded 1997 in Göttingen, Germany). The company's purpose is to commercialize and support two open source product lines: SAMBA+, an enterprise-grade Samba distribution that provides Identity and Access Management for Microsoft Active Directory and high-performance SMB file serving with cluster storage support (Ceph, GlusterFS, IBM Spectrum Scale); and verinice, an open source Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) platform covering ISO 27001, GDPR, NIS2, and other regulatory frameworks. Variants of SAMBA+ are tailored for IBM AIX, Kubernetes, and OEM/embedded deployments, while verinice is offered as both on-premise and cloud-hosted (verinice.cloud) editions.
The technical stack is centered on long-term maintenance of the open source Samba codebase and a proprietary GRC tooling layer, with ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification providing third-party validation of the company's own information security practices. SerNet earns revenue primarily through recurring SAMBA+ subscriptions, tiered support budgets and SLAs, verinice on-premise and cloud licenses with associated support, OEM/embedded licensing arrangements, and professional services around EU regulatory compliance (NIS2, GDPR) and Samba development. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales via a small US sales team (CEO/Chairman, COO/Head of Sales, two Account Executives split across SAMBA+ and verinice), supplemented by direct e-commerce (usdshop.samba.plus), a verinice partner/reseller network, community channels (sambaXP conference, verinice forum, SNIA Developer Conference), and the corporate website (sernet.com).
The customer base is described as ranging from startups to Fortune 500 enterprises across infrastructure/IT operations and security/compliance use cases, with no named customer logos disclosed. Operating geographies are concentrated in North America (US Inc.) and EMEA (German parent). The company has 7 total employees, no disclosed external funding, no M&A activity, and serves as the US commercial extension of a privately held German parent that itself operates three offices (Göttingen, Berlin, San Francisco).
SerNet, Inc. firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SerNet, Inc.
- Legal name
- SerNet, Inc.
- Website
- https://sernet.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- SerNet, Inc. is the US subsidiary of Germany's SerNet GmbH, commercializing and supporting two open source product lines — SAMBA+ enterprise Samba (Active Directory IAM, high-performance SMB, cluster support) and verinice open source GRC (ISO 27001, GDPR, NIS2) — for enterprise customers ranging from startups to Fortune 500.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SerNet, Inc. industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Enterprise Open Source Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Single Sign-On (SSO) & Federation (SAML/OIDC, Identity Providers) (HDAEAJAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Container Platforms & Orchestration (Kubernetes) (HDABADAF)
Keywords
Where SerNet, Inc. is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
SerNet, Inc. business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- SAMBA+ Subscriptions: Commercial subscriptions for SAMBA+ enterprise Samba distribution, including support levels, SLA options, and development services.
- SAMBA+ Support Budgets: Tiered support contracts for SAMBA+ with varying service levels and response times.
- verinice Products and Services: verinice cloud hosting, on-premise licenses, and associated support services for GRC compliance.
- OEM Partnerships: Customized SAMBA+ development and licensing for OEM customers with tailored solutions.
- Professional Services and Consulting: Consulting services around EU regulations including NIS2, GDPR compliance, and Samba development support.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | SAMBA+ Subscription - Terms and Conditions for subscription services |
| Subscription | Annual | SAMBA+ Support Budgets - Tiered support options |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | SAMBA+ SLA & Support Budgets - Combined support and SLA packages |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
SerNet, Inc. product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SerNet, Inc. develops and sells two commercial open source software products: SAMBA+, an enterprise-grade Samba distribution that provides Identity and Access Management (IAM) for Microsoft Active Directory and high-performance SMB file serving with cluster support (Ceph, GlusterFS, Spectrum Scale); and verinice, an open source Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) platform supporting ISO 27001, GDPR, NIS2 and other regulations. The company also provides tiered technical support, SLAs, OEM customization, and consulting services around these products.
Product overview
SerNet offers two core commercial open source products: SAMBA+ and verinice. SAMBA+ is an enterprise-grade Samba distribution that functions as a Microsoft Active Directory-compatible Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution and high-performance SMB file server, with specialized variants for AIX (IBM Power), Kubernetes containers, and OEM deployments, all supported by tiered service level agreements. verinice is a GRC (Governance, Risk, and Compliance) platform supporting major regulatory frameworks including ISO 27001, GDPR, and NIS2, available as both on-premises and cloud-hosted (verinice.cloud) deployments. The company has over 25 years of open source heritage and serves customers ranging from startups to Fortune 500 enterprises.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SAMBA+: Enterprise Samba distribution and support services. Serves as Identity and Access Management solution for Microsoft Active Directory and as high performance SMB server with cluster support options.
- verinice
- verinice.cloud
Products and services
- SAMBA+ Enterprise-grade Samba distribution that serves as an Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution for Microsoft Active Directory and as a high-performance SMB file server with cluster support options including Ceph, GlusterFS, and Spectrum Scale. Targeted at infrastructure and IT operations teams.
- SAMBA+ AIX Specialized variant of SAMBA+ built for IBM Power systems running the AIX operating system, providing enterprise Samba capabilities on AIX platforms.
- SAMBA+ for Kubernetes Containerized SAMBA+ solution designed for fast deployment within Kubernetes environments, enabling organizations to run enterprise Samba in containerized infrastructure.
- SAMBA+ for OEM Customized OEM version of SAMBA+ developed specifically for individual customer requirements, enabling companies to embed or white-label SAMBA+ in their own products with tailored development and support.
- SAMBA+ Support & SLA Tiered technical support services and Service Level Agreements for SAMBA+ available at multiple service tiers and response times for enterprise customers.
- verinice Open source Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) platform supporting standards and regulations including ISO 27001, GDPR, and NIS2, used by organizations to manage regulatory compliance and risk frameworks.
- verinice.cloud Cloud-hosted version of the verinice GRC platform providing Governance, Risk, and Compliance capabilities as a managed cloud service.
Quantifiable outcome
- 25+ years of continuous open source development and support
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use SerNet, Inc.
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
SerNet, Inc. technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
SerNet, Inc. partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- SerNet GmbHcoreSerNet GmbH in Germany is the parent company and sole shareholder of SerNet, Inc. Founded in 1997 in Goettingen, Germany. SerNet GmbH extends global reach of German technology partner in US market since 2004. Parent company handles European operations while SerNet, Inc. serves US market.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
SerNet, Inc. competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Red Hat: Provides enterprise Linux, identity management, and commercial open source support. Comparable as a broad commercial open source infrastructure vendor serving Fortune 500 with subscription and support revenue.
- SUSE: Enterprise Linux and open source infrastructure vendor with similar subscription-plus-support model and focus on Linux/Windows interoperability, making it a natural comparable for SAMBA+ offerings.
- SailPoint: Enterprise identity governance and administration vendor. Comparable to SAMBA+ for organizations consolidating IAM, particularly those with mixed Windows/Linux environments.
- ServiceNow (GRC): Dominant enterprise GRC and workflow platform. Competes with verinice for budget in regulated enterprises that prefer integrated, large-vendor compliance platforms.
- Microsoft (Active Directory / Entra ID): Owner of Active Directory/Entra ID, the primary identity system SAMBA+ integrates with. Microsoft is the incumbent SerNet is positioned against for enterprises seeking Linux-native AD-compatible IAM.
- OpenText (GRC / Compliance): Large enterprise GRC and information management vendor with products covering ISO 27001, GDPR-style compliance. Comparable as a competing GRC platform against verinice in enterprise deals.
Direct peers
- One Identity (One Identity Manager): Dedicated IAM and identity governance vendor. Comparable to SAMBA+ where enterprises need Active Directory-integrated identity management, though One Identity is a much larger proprietary vendor.
- Canonical (Ubuntu): Commercial Ubuntu and open source support vendor with comparable business model of enterprise-grade subscription, support, and OEM relationships around open source infrastructure software.
- NetIQ (OpenText): Identity, access, and security management vendor historically focused on Linux/Unix-to-AD integration. Highly comparable to SAMBA+ as a commercial IAM solution bridging non-Windows environments with Active Directory.
- ManageEngine: Sells IT management and Active Directory management tools to mid-market and enterprise. Comparable buyer base (infrastructure/identity admins) and adjacent product portfolio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
SerNet, Inc. social profiles
Digital presenceSerNet, Inc. financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SerNet, Inc. leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
SerNet, Inc. funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SerNet, Inc. 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 SerNet, Inc.
What does SerNet, Inc. do?
SerNet, Inc. develops and sells two commercial open source software products: SAMBA+, an enterprise-grade Samba distribution that provides Identity and Access Management (IAM) for Microsoft Active Directory and high-performance SMB file serving with cluster support (Ceph, GlusterFS, Spectrum Scale); and verinice, an open source Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) platform supporting ISO 27001, GDPR, NIS2 and other regulations. The company also provides tiered technical support, SLAs, OEM customization, and consulting services around these products.
Is SerNet, Inc. a public or private company?
SerNet, Inc. is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was SerNet, Inc. founded?
SerNet, Inc. was founded in 2004. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is SerNet, Inc. based?
SerNet, Inc. is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does SerNet, Inc. make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. SAMBA+ Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are SAMBA+ Support Budgets, verinice Products and Services, OEM Partnerships and professional Services and Consulting.
Who are SerNet, Inc.'s main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Red Hat, SUSE, SailPoint, ServiceNow (GRC), Microsoft (Active Directory / Entra ID) and OpenText (GRC / Compliance). Direct peers are One Identity (One Identity Manager), Canonical (Ubuntu), NetIQ (OpenText) and ManageEngine.
Does SerNet, Inc. have an API?
No public API is recorded for SerNet, Inc..
What industry is SerNet, Inc. in?
SerNet, Inc.'s product category is Enterprise Open Source Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAEAJAB, Single Sign-On (SSO) & Federation (SAML/OIDC, Identity Providers), with a secondary code of HDABADAF, Container Platforms & Orchestration (Kubernetes). Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7371.