Faction Networks
Faction Networks (Faction Communication Corp) builds a Generation 3 Zero Trust security platform with owner-controlled keys, zero-knowledge routing, and Cyber-Assured hardware gateways for OT/IoT, sold via subscription and channel partners to Manufacturing, Healthcare, Energy & Utilities, Government, Critical Infrastructure, Financial Services, and SMB/SME customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersTroy, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Faction Networks does
Faction Networks (legal entity Faction Communication Corp, incorporated in New York, headquartered in Rome, NY) builds a Generation 3 Zero Trust security platform that returns ownership and control of trust to the customer. The core product is Virtual Private Circuits (VPC), an owner-controlled networking fabric that takes networks, devices, and data off the public internet into circuits only the owner can see and reach, built on a Rust cryptographic core with a four-layer encryption stack, RSA-4096 owner-controlled PKI, and a zero-knowledge architecture in which Faction routes traffic without holding customer encryption keys. The platform extends to physical infrastructure through Pods & Portals, US-made Cyber-Assured hardware gateways (manufactured via the March 2026 merger with OA Technologies and a joint venture with South Korean hardware partner Davolink, which ships 1M+ Wi-Fi 6/7 access points annually) that secure OT and IoT devices without agents. Modular add-ons include Data Security Suite, AI Security & Control (governance for autonomous agents bound to verified human sponsors), and Human-in-the-Loop (step-up identity verification for privileged actions).
Faction generates revenue primarily through recurring subscriptions to the Zero Trust platform, supplemented by hardware sales of Pods & Portals and professional services tied to pilot deployments and partner-led onboarding. Distribution is hybrid: direct enterprise field sales for large deployments and government accounts, a channel program through MSPs, MSSPs, resellers, and integrators for SMB and SME reach, an early-access pilot program as the entry motion, and OEM/embedded integrations for customer-branded pre-enrolled appliances. The customer base spans Manufacturing (including Defense Industrial Base CMMC), Healthcare, Energy & Utilities, Government & Public Sector, Critical Infrastructure, Financial Services, and SMB/SME organizations that need enterprise-grade security without enterprise-scale teams.
The company is privately held following its March 2026 merger with OA Technologies and is led by President & CEO Leroy "Lee" Williams, with co-founder Dave Rand as CTO (formerly of AboveNet, Trend Micro, Kelkea, and MAPS) and co-founder Geoff Halstead as CPO. Strategic partners include iVALT (identity), Davolink (hardware), Assured Information Security (cyber services), and ORION Assured (hardware cyber assurance); compliance alignment covers NIST 800-53/171, CMMC, FedRAMP Moderate, PCI DSS, GLBA, FFIEC, and SOX.
Faction Networks firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Faction Networks
- Legal name
- Faction Communication Corp
- Website
- https://factionnetworks.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Faction Networks (Faction Communication Corp) builds a Generation 3 Zero Trust security platform with owner-controlled keys, zero-knowledge routing, and Cyber-Assured hardware gateways for OT/IoT, sold via subscription and channel partners to Manufacturing, Healthcare, Energy & Utilities, Government, Critical Infrastructure, Financial Services, and SMB/SME customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Faction Networks industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Zero Trust Network Security
- NAICS
- Security Systems Services (56162)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Identity Orchestration & Policy (Zero Trust Access, Conditional Access) (HDADAAAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Operational Technology (OT) Network Segmentation & Zero Trust (HDADAJAB), Access Management & Policy Enforcement (Zero Trust) (BPAMAEAH), Wi‑Fi Security, Access Control & Policy (NAC/Zero Trust for WLAN) (HDAFACAF)
Keywords
Where Faction Networks is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Troy
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Faction Networks business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription - Zero Trust Platform: Recurring subscription-based revenue model for access to the Generation 3 Zero Trust platform, including Virtual Private Circuits, Pods & Portals, Data Security, and AI Security features. Designed for managed-service recurring revenue.
- Hardware Sales - Pods & Portals: Sale of Cyber-Assured Pods and Portals hardware appliances. US-made, independently inspected networking hardware that extends Zero Trust to OT and IoT environments.
- Professional Services: Onboarding, deployment support, and hands-on pilot program services alongside channel partners.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Subscription-based platform access |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Hardware appliances |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Faction Networks product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Faction Networks sells a Generation 3 Zero Trust cybersecurity platform built around owner-controlled encryption keys and zero-knowledge architecture. Core offerings include Virtual Private Circuits (software-defined isolated network circuits), Pods & Portals (Cyber-Assured hardware gateways for OT/IoT), Data Security Suite, AI Security & Control, Human-in-the-Loop identity verification, and a Factionize deployment service for existing infrastructure.
Product overview
Faction Networks offers a Generation 3 Zero Trust platform built on the principle of owner-controlled trust. The platform consists of a core networking product (Virtual Private Circuits) plus hardware appliances (Pods & Portals) for OT/IoT protection, combined with modular security layers including Data Security Suite, AI Security & Control, and Human-in-the-Loop. The Factionize service enables deployment alongside existing infrastructure without rip-and-replace. The architecture is designed so that encryption keys and trust relationships are held by the customer, not the vendor, with Faction routing encrypted traffic without access to decryptable content.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Virtual Private Circuits (VPC)
- Pods & Portals
- Data Security Suite
- AI Security & Control
- Human-in-the-Loop (HITL)
- Factionize
Quantifiable outcome
- $6.1M average cost of financial-sector data breach (IBM Cost of Data Breach 2024)
Companies that use Faction Networks
Customer profileSegments7 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Faction Networks technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability3 records
Feature9 records
Faction Networks partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.
- iVALTcoreStrategic partnership integrating iVALT's Digital Trust platform into Faction's Generation 3 Zero Trust architecture. iVALT provides passwordless biometric and 5-Factor verification for human identity verification powering Faction's Human-in-the-Loop and AI Security solutions. Every agent operating in a Faction network carries cryptographically verifiable identity derived from a human sponsor. Initial integration complete with joint development underway; commercial availability expected Q3 2026.
- DavolinkcoreSouth Korean company (KOSDAQ listed) designing and developing Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 access point routers, shipping 1M+ units annually. Hardware and software ensure robust security. Partnership for networking hardware in Faction's ecosystem.
- Assured Information Security (AIS)coreAIS provides government and commercial customers with cyber and information security capabilities in C5ISR, Cyber, Advanced Computing, AI/ML, and Reverse Engineering. Founded 2001, headquartered in Rome, NY with 220+ employees.
- ORION AssuredcoreCyber assurance, integration, demonstration and technology transition. Team has skills addressing IoT technologies including AI/ML, edge processing, penetration testing. Performs independent hardware inspection and supply chain verification for Faction Pods.
- University at Albany - CEHCsecondaryCollege of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity. Collaborative technology development, PEN testing and security validation, laboratory demos, pilot programs, student experiential learning.
- Leahy Center for Digital Forensics & CybersecuritysecondarySecurity testing and validation of Faction Pods hardware, platform and architecture. Demos, pilots, and collaborative research into vulnerabilities in cameras, routers and networked appliances.
- Groff NetWorks LLCsecondaryManaged IT, managed security, and virtual CIO (vCIO) services to Capital Region area for 18 years. Friend of Faction advisor Lauren Groff is CEO and founder.
- Quanterion SolutionsminorQuality analytical services across technical disciplines for government and commercial customers. Subject matter experts in scientific fields.
- InnoVets AerospaceminorService-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business providing expert operations management in complex technical environments with foundation in military and civilian aviation.
- OA TechnologiescoreMerger completed March 2026 united Faction Networks' Generation 3 Zero Trust platform with OA Technologies' U.S.-based hardware manufacturing capabilities developed through joint venture with Davolink. Combined entity manufactures secure wireless routers and networking appliances domestically.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Faction Networks competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Twingate: Twingate is a Zero Trust network access solution emphasizing easy deployment and a software-defined perimeter for distributed workforces. It overlaps directly with Faction's VPC and pod-based Zero Trust networking for SMB and enterprise.
- Claroty: Claroty provides cybersecurity for industrial control systems, connected medical devices, and critical infrastructure. It competes with Faction's Pods & Portals product for OT/IoT hardening in the same verticals Faction targets.
- Cato Networks: Cato Networks offers a converged SASE cloud platform with built-in ZTNA, SWG, and WAN capabilities. It is a direct competitor in the SASE/ZTNA category serving enterprises and SMBs, similar to Faction's positioning.
- Palo Alto Networks (Prisma Access): Palo Alto's Prisma Access is a major SASE/ZTNA platform serving enterprise and government customers. It is a direct competitor to Faction's Virtual Private Circuits and broader Zero Trust platform for network and application access.
- Zscaler: Zscaler is the dominant cloud-native ZTNA platform, offering Zero Trust Network Access for users and applications. It competes most directly with Faction's Generation 3 Zero Trust positioning as a cloud-delivered alternative to legacy VPN and perimeter security.
- Nozomi Networks: Nozomi Networks specializes in OT/IoT security and visibility for industrial control and critical infrastructure. It is a direct competitor in Faction's OT/IoT-focused segment, particularly for manufacturing, energy, and utilities deployments.
- Tailscale: Tailscale provides WireGuard-based Zero Trust mesh networking for teams and enterprises, similar in spirit to Faction's owner-controlled Virtual Private Circuits. It is a direct competitor in the modern Zero Trust networking category that Faction also targets.
- Cloudflare (Cloudflare Access/Zero Trust): Cloudflare Zero Trust delivers SSE/SASE capabilities including ZTNA, Secure Web Gateway, and identity-aware access. It is a direct competitor on the Zero Trust access plane that Faction addresses with its Generation 3 architecture.
Broad incumbents
- Cisco (Cisco Secure Access): Cisco's broad security portfolio (Duo, Secure Access, Umbrella) provides overlapping Zero Trust and SSE capabilities. It is a broader incumbent with deeper distribution and enterprise reach than Faction, competing in the same overall Zero Trust category.
- Okta: Okta is a leading identity and access management provider whose Zero Trust identity layer overlaps with Faction's authentication and human-in-the-loop capabilities. It is a broader incumbent with deep enterprise penetration.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Faction Networks social profiles
Digital presenceFaction Networks compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance9 records
Faction Networks financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Faction Networks leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Faction Networks funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Faction Networks 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 Faction Networks
What does Faction Networks do?
Faction Networks sells a Generation 3 Zero Trust cybersecurity platform built around owner-controlled encryption keys and zero-knowledge architecture. Core offerings include Virtual Private Circuits (software-defined isolated network circuits), Pods & Portals (Cyber-Assured hardware gateways for OT/IoT), Data Security Suite, AI Security & Control, Human-in-the-Loop identity verification, and a Factionize deployment service for existing infrastructure.
Is Faction Networks a public or private company?
Faction Networks is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Faction Networks founded?
Faction Networks was founded in 2023. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Faction Networks based?
Faction Networks is headquartered in Troy, United States, in the North America region.
How does Faction Networks make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Subscription - Zero Trust Platform is the primary driver. The others are hardware Sales - Pods & Portals and professional Services.
Who are Faction Networks's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Twingate, Claroty, Cato Networks, Palo Alto Networks (Prisma Access), Zscaler, Nozomi Networks, Tailscale and Cloudflare (Cloudflare Access/Zero Trust). Broad incumbents are Cisco (Cisco Secure Access) and Okta.
Does Faction Networks have an API?
No public API is recorded for Faction Networks.
What industry is Faction Networks in?
Faction Networks's product category is Zero Trust Network Security. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDADAAAL, Identity Orchestration & Policy (Zero Trust Access, Conditional Access), with a secondary code of HDADAJAB, Operational Technology (OT) Network Segmentation & Zero Trust. Its NAICS code is 56162.