Option3 announced that ENIGMA has agreed to acquire Dellfer, a firmware security company serving the automotive and IoT markets. The transaction comes months after ENIGMA’s acquisition of Onclave Networks in August 2024 and represents a significant expansion of the platform’s capabilities. It also initiates a process of product integration, aiding both companies’ enterprise sales efforts that are already in progress, and lays the groundwork for Option3’s future acquisition plans for the platform.
“We are very excited about this addition to the ENIGMA platform,” said Manish Thakur, Managing Partner of Option3. “Dellfer will continue its leadership in the automotive sector, building on years of successful development work that allow it to deliver security to the mass market, a critical enabler in an industry where software-enabled connected cars are becoming the norm. As part of ENIGMA, though, Dellfer is also now positioned to enter other sectors, from healthcare to government. Its integration with Onclave will further create a powerful force multiplier in capabilities that will substantially enrich our solution set for customers.”
“Joining ENIGMA is an exciting new chapter,” said James Blaisdell, CEO of Dellfer. “Dellfer’s expertise in firmware security for large IoT deployments complements Onclave’s strengths in operational technology and critical infrastructure. Together, we address rapidly multiplying security threats originating from outside of traditional information technology and are largely missed by traditional cybersecurity.”
This marks ENIGMA’s second acquisition in six months, demonstrating the platform’s rapid growth and position in cybersecurity, thanks to its focus on solutions rooted in the Zero Trust model.
Zero Trust has become a stringent standard in cybersecurity, mandated for adoption across US government agencies by Presidential Order. Last year, Onclave Networks became the first Zero Trust secure communications platform to receive an ‘Authority to Operate’ from a US Government agency.
With plans for continued growth, Option3 recently brought on Bloomberg’s former General Counsel, Karl P. Kilb III, as Operating Partner and the platform’s Chief Strategy Officer. Kilb will spearhead both the acquisition strategy and help to finalise several large enterprise sales and licensing deals that ENIGMA expects to announce soon.
“The addition of Dellfer marks a significant expansion in ENIGMA’s mission to deliver a comprehensive range of advanced Zero Trust solutions,” commented Kilb. “Both companies are advancing AI capabilities to enhance threat detection, monitoring, and automated remediation. Both companies are also in late-stage discussions for major sales and licensing deals. Bringing them together under a single platform will amplify what each can offer, ultimately benefiting customers seeking robust cybersecurity solutions.”
Option3’s targeted expansion of the ENIGMA platform reflects its wider vision of an integrated ecosystem of advanced technologies that seek to address a new generation of AI-driven cyber attacks.
We will bring on to the platform only those solutions that go beyond traditional ‘trust but verify’ cybersecurity and instead treat all networks and traffic as a potential threat,” concluded Thakur. “In adopting this exclusively Zero Trust approach, Option3 and ENIGMA aim to both support the US government in own transition to Zero Trust, and to accelerate its broader adoption across the American economy.”
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