MSSP Merger: Zuggand, Cyber Security Works Target Managed CloudSecOps -

Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud consulting partner Zuggand and Cyber Security Works (CSW) are merging to form an MSSP focused on managed CloudSecOps services. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

This is technology M&A deal number 389 that MSSP Alert and sister site ChannelE2E have covered so far in 2021.

See all technology M&A deals for 2021 and 2020 listed here.

See all MSSP mergers & acquisitions listed here.

Zuggand and Cyber Security Works: Business Background

Among the deal details to note, according to the merger announcement:

Zuggand is an established Amazon Web Services (AWS) Advanced Consulting Partner.

Cyber Security Works (CSW) is a provider of Vulnerability Management as a Service (VMaaS) and Application Penetration Testing services.

The two businesses were partners ahead of the deal.

The merged company will be privately held and will operate as Cyber Security Works, headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The combined business has more than 150 cloud and security professionals and support staff, and over 400 customers in more than 15 countries.

Zuggand will become part of the portfolio of companies under the CSW umbrella and maintain the Zuggand brand.

In terms of executive leadership, Zuggand CEO Aaron Sandeen is now CEO of the merged organization, and Zuggand co-founder Phil Manfredi becomes COO of the combined company.

Merger Forms Managed CloudSecOps MSSP: Executive Perspectives

In a prepared statement about the deal, Sandeen said:

“I’m excited about the value our customers will get from Zuggand and CSW coming together. Leaders need visibility and security into every layer of their IT operations. Our customers have been asking for vulnerability scanning and application penetration testing capabilities, and now we can meet their needs!”

Added Ram Movva, co-founder and chairman of Cyber Security Works:

“We are thrilled to see two leading companies in the cybersecurity industry unite and become one entity! With the world moving to the cloud faster than ever, cloud security cannot be an afterthought. CSW’s decade-long experience in providing cybersecurity services will now be augmented with Zuggand’s Cloud Security expertise. I am confident that with this merger, our customers will get the best of both worlds―on-premise, cloud, or hybrid.”

Noted Kiran Chinnagangannagari, Zuggand’s co-founder and president:

“The pandemic has forced nearly every organization to rethink its business processes. There is a massive shift happening in how companies think and use SaaS platforms and cloud services. This shift is creating an entirely different set of opportunities and challenges. However, security is not always top of mind when adopting these new services. This merged entity will bring rich and deep expertise in cloud and security domains and is uniquely positioned to handle these challenges. I am very excited about the strategic value that this merger will bring to customers!”