1Password acquires Kolide

At this point, it’s safe to say work has changed. But the reality is that for those yearning for employees to return to the office, hybrid and remote work is the modern “business as usual,” and there is no going back. Unsurprisingly, our new way of work has brought a slew of new security challenges that companies struggle to address.

Security is inherently a people problem. And when people no longer predominantly work from a corporate office, relying on security technologies built to secure physical corporate networks, and everything plugged into them, is now creating gaping holes in company defenses.

At 1Password, we’ve always put people front and center of security, striving to create products that are easy to use and make employees more productive. By making the productive way to work the secure way to work, we help companies enlist their employees to be a part of their perimeter defense.

That brings us to today’s news: 1Password has acquired Kolide, a next-generation device security solution.

Security for any location and any device

Why would 1Password acquire a device health and contextual access management solution? The reality is that access isn’t secure if the device doing the access isn’t secure. This is part of the complexity of the modern way we work. Every device, regardless of location, must be secure – just as every log-in, regardless of location, employee, or type of device used, must be secure.

This is where Kolide fits into the 1Password story. Kolide is a leader in device health and contextual access management, and companies need a way to ensure that both the device used and every access request are secure. What also makes Kolide particularly compelling is how the company has taken a similar approach to 1Password and works to enlist employees to deliver better security. This is only possible by providing employees with tools that make security easy to use and adopt, enable them to secure their own activities, and provide them with the context to make the right decisions at the right time.

In fact, Kolide’s philosophy of Honest Security mirrors our deeply held values - that security can only work through a positive relationship with end users, and that privacy must be respected at every stage of the journey, being demonstrated through informed consent and transparency. Kolide’s message is resonating across the market, and leading companies including Databricks, Robinhood, Discord, and Anduril rely on Kolide to secure their teams.

Turning your employees into security advocates is critical, because it’s no longer possible for IT or security teams to micro-manage every device or every application that employees use – especially for remote and hybrid workforces. By shedding light on the currently untenable state of IT and security, corporations can shift their mindset toward an approach where security empowers end users to use the tools they need, while also making them active participants in securing the applications they use. And 1Password with Kolide does just that.

Please join me in welcoming the entire Kolide team to 1Password. We’re thrilled they’re joining us on our shared mission of building a safer, more secure future. And based on Kolide CEO Jason Meller’s perspective below, I’d say we’re well on our way.

“Kolide was founded on the idea of Honest Security, a philosophy that, when combined with the principles of Zero Trust, transforms end users into the most effective security solution IT will ever have. We are combining forces with 1Password for one reason: we both believe every company on Earth needs user-focused device security. With 1Password, we now have the resources to make that belief a reality.”

If you’d like to learn more about how Kolide and 1Password solutions can secure your organization, let us know.

Jeff Shiner

CEO