Hewlett Packard Enterprise to acquire Axis Security to bolster cloud-native SASE capabilities

What does Hewlett Packard Enterprise stand to gain from acquiring Axis Security’s cloud-native SSE platform?

With digital transformation accelerating and hybrid work becoming the norm, enterprise IT teams face mounting pressure to ensure secure and seamless access across increasingly distributed environments. Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s proposed acquisition of Axis Security is a direct response to that demand, aimed at enhancing its edge-to-cloud network security solutions with next-generation cloud-native security features.

Axis Security is best known for its Atmos platform, a cloud-native SSE suite offering Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), Secure Web Gateway (SWG), and Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) services. Hewlett Packard Enterprise plans to integrate these capabilities with its existing Aruba Networking portfolio, which includes software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) and dynamic segmentation technologies.

The integration is expected to result in a full-stack SASE offering that combines SD-WAN with SSE to deliver optimized application performance and secure access for users, devices, and applications—regardless of their location. Hewlett Packard Enterprise intends to make the integrated solution available to customers by the third quarter of its fiscal year 2023.

How will the Axis Security acquisition reshape HPE’s edge-to-cloud platform strategy?

Hewlett Packard Enterprise has positioned itself over recent years as an “edge-to-cloud” infrastructure player, a shift embodied in its flagship platform, HPE GreenLake. With GreenLake offering cloud-like experiences across on-premises and hybrid environments, integrating Axis Security’s cloud-native SSE technology adds a crucial security layer to that promise.

By folding Axis Security’s capabilities into GreenLake, Hewlett Packard Enterprise will offer customers an on-demand security-as-a-service model that is tightly integrated with its network and compute services. This move is consistent with broader industry trends toward service-based infrastructure, or “XaaS,” and is expected to be especially attractive to enterprises modernizing their IT environments.

Phil Mottram, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Aruba Networking, emphasized the strategic fit, stating that the convergence of Aruba and Axis Security solutions would enable the delivery of a unified SASE architecture, ensuring enterprise-grade security across remote workforces, branch offices, and IoT devices.

What role does Aruba Networks play in Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s SASE roadmap?

Aruba Networks, acquired by Hewlett Packard Enterprise in 2015, forms the networking backbone of the tech conglomerate’s edge-to-cloud transformation. Its SD-WAN solutions, network firewalls, and dynamic segmentation capabilities are already deployed across thousands of enterprise sites worldwide.

The addition of Axis Security’s SSE suite to Aruba’s SD-WAN is expected to result in an end-to-end SASE framework capable of handling both network connectivity and application-layer security in a single, cloud-delivered service. The integration will enable Zero Trust enforcement, granular user access policies, and real-time threat protection.

According to Hewlett Packard Enterprise, the combined offering will deliver improved application performance, lower latency, and more streamlined security management—all through a single dashboard. This simplification is a core appeal of SASE architectures, which aim to collapse traditionally siloed security and networking functions into a unified fabric.

How does this acquisition fit into Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s broader M&A strategy?

The Axis Security deal follows closely on the heels of Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s agreement to acquire Athonet, a private cellular technology provider, announced just weeks earlier. Taken together, these acquisitions signal a broader push by Hewlett Packard Enterprise into the next wave of secure connectivity—encompassing both cloud-native security and private 5G.

By securing Axis Security, Hewlett Packard Enterprise adds SSE to its growing portfolio of network services, while Athonet strengthens its capabilities in wireless infrastructure. The convergence of private 5G and SASE is expected to be especially critical for industrial and enterprise clients deploying edge computing workloads across multiple locations.

In Mottram’s words, the acquisitions accelerate Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s vision of helping customers “expand their secure connectivity needs” with both cloud-based SASE solutions and advanced wireless access.

What are Axis Security’s core products and why are they valuable in a hybrid work era?

Founded in Israel and backed by cybersecurity investors such as Ten Eleven Ventures and Cyberstarts, Axis Security has gained recognition for simplifying secure access to business applications without requiring traditional VPN infrastructure. Its Atmos platform focuses on Zero Trust security principles, ensuring that only authenticated users and trusted devices can access specific services or apps.

The cloud-native architecture allows customers to deploy secure access at scale, making it particularly relevant for hybrid workforces and distributed environments. Axis Security’s tools also address regulatory requirements by offering visibility into user behavior, data flows, and threat analytics—all critical features for modern compliance frameworks.

Axis Security CEO Dor Knafo described the combination with Aruba as “a natural complement,” adding that the unified SASE solution would be designed to “extend connectivity to edge through modern access services—all working together in harmony.”

What is the market context for this acquisition amid rising demand for SASE?

The Secure Access Service Edge market has seen rapid growth as organizations pivot from perimeter-based security models to cloud-delivered solutions. According to Gartner, SASE adoption is accelerating in part because of the convergence of remote work, cloud migration, and increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

Major players like Palo Alto Networks (Prisma Access), Cisco (Umbrella), Zscaler, and Cloudflare have all made significant moves in the SASE space, driving consolidation and innovation in both networking and security functions. Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s acquisition of Axis Security is a strategic entry into this competitive market, giving it the building blocks to compete with other full-stack SASE providers.

For enterprises evaluating security transformation, the ability to combine Zero Trust access control, data loss prevention, and web filtering with existing network infrastructure is an increasingly important requirement. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is betting that its integrated Aruba–Axis solution will fill that need without requiring complex deployments or vendor sprawl.

When will customers see the new integrated SASE offerings?

Hewlett Packard Enterprise has stated that the integrated solutions combining Aruba and Axis Security technologies will be available to customers in the third quarter of its fiscal year 2023, pending regulatory approvals and standard closing conditions. The transaction is expected to close by the end of Q2 FY2023.

Once completed, Hewlett Packard Enterprise will offer its enhanced SASE capabilities both through its existing HPE GreenLake platform and potentially as standalone services through its Aruba Networking division. This phased rollout is intended to offer flexibility to clients with varying levels of cloud maturity and infrastructure requirements.

Is Hewlett Packard Enterprise building a security powerhouse for the edge-to-cloud era?

The acquisition of Axis Security marks another decisive move by Hewlett Packard Enterprise to reshape its portfolio for a distributed and cloud-native world. With the security perimeter dissolving and enterprise attack surfaces expanding, the demand for unified networking and security is more urgent than ever.

By integrating cloud-native SSE from Axis with Aruba’s established SD-WAN and GreenLake’s scalable platform, Hewlett Packard Enterprise is constructing a SASE framework tailored for hybrid enterprises. While the financial terms remain undisclosed, the strategic alignment of the acquisition is clear: secure, scalable access will define the next decade of enterprise IT.

As enterprises evaluate new connectivity models and security frameworks, Hewlett Packard Enterprise is positioning itself as a one-stop platform that unites performance, visibility, and Zero Trust in a single edge-to-cloud fabric.