Forcepoint

Forcepoint is a United States cybersecurity software company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Its products address data protection, web and email security, cloud access security, network firewalls, cross-domain security, and the detection of risky user behavior. The business serves commercial enterprises as well as government organizations, with particular emphasis on controlling how users access, move, and share information across corporate networks, endpoints, cloud services, and the internet. The company originated in 1994 as NetPartners, a San Diego-area reseller of network-security products founded by Phil Trubey. It subsequently moved from resale into software for controlling employee internet use. In 1999, NetPartners adopted the Websense name. Websense became a publicly traded company in 2000, raising $72 million in its initial public offering during the dot-com period. Its early proposition centered on web filtering and acceptable-use enforcement, but the portfolio expanded through internally developed products and acquisitions into broader content security, email security, data-loss prevention, endpoint protection, and network defense. Websense acquired PortAuthority in 2006, adding technology for identifying and protecting sensitive information, and purchased SurfControl in 2007, strengthening its email-security and web-filtering activities. It later acquired Defensio, a provider associated with spam and malware protection for social-media environments. The company also developed the Triton product family and introduced appliance and mobile-security offerings. These moves reflected a shift from simple URL categorization toward monitoring data, devices, applications, and user activity. Vista Equity Partners acquired Websense in 2013 in a transaction valued at $906 million. Raytheon then acquired an 80 percent interest in the company in 2015 and combined Websense with parts of its own cybersecurity operations. The enlarged business acquired Foreground Security and purchased Stonesoft and Sidewinder from Intel. Stonesoft contributed next-generation firewall technology, while Sidewinder contributed an enterprise firewall platform. In January 2016, these activities and Raytheon's cyber-products business were unified under the Forcepoint brand. Under Raytheon ownership, Forcepoint was organized around cloud security, network security, data and insider-threat security, and global government activities. Matthew Moynahan became chief executive officer in 2016. The company added Imperva's Skyfence cloud access security broker product in 2017 and acquired RedOwl, a user and entity behavior analytics company, later that year. These additions strengthened Forcepoint's focus on identifying anomalous activity and protecting information in cloud and hybrid environments. Raytheon acquired the remaining minority interest in 2019. Following the merger that created Raytheon Technologies, later RTX, Francisco Partners agreed to acquire Forcepoint in 2020, with the transaction closing in January 2021. In 2023, the government cybersecurity business was agreed to be sold to TPG. That business was subsequently rebranded Everfox in early 2024, leaving Forcepoint concentrated primarily on commercial cybersecurity products and services. Forcepoint's historical development therefore spans web filtering, data-loss prevention, network defense, cloud security, and behavioral analytics, with ownership moving from public markets to private equity and then through major aerospace-and-defense ownership before returning to private ownership.

Forcepoint began in 1994 as NetPartners, a network-security reseller founded by Phil Trubey in Sorrento Valley, San Diego. The business gradually developed software that allowed organizations to regulate employee internet use. In 1998 it raised $6 million in venture capital. Later that year, investors replaced Trubey as chief executive with John Carrington. NetPartners changed its name to Websense in June 1999. Its early software relied on categorizing websites and controlling access to content considered inappropriate, unproductive, or dangerous for workplace users. Websense went public in March 2000, raising $72 million during the final phase of the dot-com boom. The company expanded beyond basic filtering through product development and acquisitions. In 2006 it acquired PortAuthority, adding data-identification and fingerprinting technology, and in 2007 it acquired SurfControl, an email-security and web-filtering vendor. Defensio, acquired in 2009, contributed capabilities related to spam and malware in social-media settings. Websense broadened its platform during the late 2000s and early 2010s. It introduced endpoint and social-media controls, website reputation services, small-business offerings, and tools intended to locate sensitive files and detect their transmission. Its first appliance product appeared in 2009. In 2010, several products were consolidated into the Triton suite. A cloud-oriented mobile-security suite introduced in 2012 supported smartphones, tablets, laptops, USB devices, and other mobile endpoints, and later updates added the ability to identify confidential information in image files. The company was acquired by Vista Equity Partners in 2013 for $906 million. Its headquarters moved first to San Diego and then to Austin, Texas. In 2015, Raytheon acquired an 80 percent interest for approximately $1.9 billion and combined Websense with its own cybersecurity activities. Raytheon also acquired Foreground Security and purchased Stonesoft and Sidewinder from Intel. Stonesoft supplied next-generation firewall technology, while Sidewinder supplied an enterprise firewall platform formerly associated with McAfee. In January 2016, the combined businesses were renamed Forcepoint. The new organization included cloud security, network security, data and insider-threat security, and global government divisions. The reorganization was accompanied by executive changes and some layoffs. Matthew Moynahan became chief executive in April 2016. Forcepoint then strengthened its cloud and behavioral-security capabilities by acquiring the Skyfence CASB product from Imperva in 2017 and RedOwl, a user and entity behavior analytics company, later that year. Raytheon purchased the remaining minority interest in 2019. After the formation of Raytheon Technologies, known as RTX, Francisco Partners agreed to acquire Forcepoint in 2020. The transaction closed in January 2021. In 2023, Francisco Partners agreed to sell the government cybersecurity business to TPG for $2.45 billion. That operation was rebranded Everfox in January 2024. Forcepoint consequently became more focused on commercial customers and on technologies designed to protect data across users, endpoints, networks, cloud applications, and web channels. The company's history also includes controversy surrounding the use and accuracy of web-filtering technology. Critics argued that automated categorization could block legitimate information, including political, social, health, and educational content. The technology was reportedly used by authorities in Yemen to restrict internet access in 2009. Forcepoint responded by cutting off the country's access to database updates, although criticism continued regarding the practical effectiveness of the response. The company joined the Global Network Initiative in 2011 and left it in 2014. Independent studies reached mixed conclusions: some found strong performance in filtering pornography while preserving health information, while others documented overblocking, underblocking, and erroneous classifications.

1. 2024Government business rebranded Everfox

   The divested Forcepoint Federal operation adopted the Everfox identity.

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2. 2021Francisco Partners ownership begins

   Francisco Partners completed its acquisition of Forcepoint from RTX.

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3. 2017Skyfence and RedOwl capabilities added

   Forcepoint expanded into cloud access security and user-behavior analytics through two acquisitions.

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4. 2016Forcepoint brand launched

   Websense, Stonesoft, Sidewinder, and Raytheon's cyber-products business were unified under Forcepoint.

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5. 2015Raytheon acquires a majority interest

   Raytheon acquired 80 percent of Websense and combined it with internal cyber-products operations.

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6. 2013Vista Equity Partners takes Websense private

   Vista Equity Partners acquired Websense for $906 million.

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7. 2007SurfControl acquisition

   Websense expanded its email-security and web-filtering portfolio through the acquisition of SurfControl.

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8. 2006PortAuthority acquisition

   The acquisition added technology for identifying and protecting sensitive information.

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9. 2000Websense goes public

   Websense completed an initial public offering and raised $72 million.

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10. 1999NetPartners adopts the Websense name

    The company changed its corporate identity to Websense as it moved toward internet-use management software.

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11. 1994NetPartners is founded

    Phil Trubey founded NetPartners in the San Diego area as a reseller of network-security products.

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An enterprise-focused cybersecurity provider that combines data protection, user-behavior analysis, web and cloud controls, and network security to reduce information leakage and insider risk.

• Forcepoint Data Loss PreventionData protection

  A family of controls intended to discover sensitive information, monitor its movement, and prevent unauthorized transmission through endpoints, networks, cloud services, and other channels. Its lineage traces back to Websense's PortAuthority technology and later data-security development.

• Forcepoint Web SecurityWeb security1994

  Web-security technology descended from Websense's original internet-use management software. It categorizes and evaluates websites, applies organizational access policies, and is designed to reduce exposure to malicious or inappropriate online content.

• TritonIntegrated security suite2010

  A Websense product suite that consolidated several security functions around 2010. Triton represented the company's move from stand-alone filtering toward a broader platform covering web, email, data, and endpoint-related controls.

• Forcepoint Cloud Access Security BrokerCloud security2017

  Cloud-security capabilities designed to provide visibility and policy enforcement for users accessing cloud applications. The portfolio was strengthened through Forcepoint's acquisition of Imperva's Skyfence product in 2017.

• Forcepoint User and Entity Behavior AnalyticsInsider-risk security2017

  Behavioral analytics technology intended to identify unusual activity by users and other entities. The capability was expanded through the acquisition of RedOwl and supports Forcepoint's focus on insider threats and risky data handling.

• Stonesoft technologyNetwork security2015

  Next-generation firewall technology acquired from Intel in 2015. It became part of the Forcepoint portfolio during the 2016 consolidation and rebranding of Websense, Stonesoft, Sidewinder, and Raytheon's cyber-products business.

• Sidewinder technologyEnterprise firewall2015

  An enterprise firewall platform acquired from Intel alongside Stonesoft. Sidewinder was previously associated with McAfee Firewall Enterprise and contributed firewall capabilities to the Forcepoint product organization.

• 2011Global Network Initiative participation

  Global

  Forcepoint said it would join the Global Network Initiative, an organization concerned with privacy and freedom of expression in the technology sector. The company later left the initiative in 2014.

  Outcome. Participation ended in 2014.

  Source

• 2023Divestiture of the government cybersecurity businessM&A

  Francisco Partners said Forcepoint would focus more closely on commercial cybersecurity while separating its government-oriented operations.

  What changed. The government cybersecurity business was agreed to be sold to TPG for $2.45 billion.

  Aftermath. The government operation became Everfox in early 2024, while Forcepoint retained its commercial orientation.

  Transaction value. $2.45 billion (2023 announced transaction)

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• 2021Sale to Francisco PartnersM&A

  Forcepoint was owned by Raytheon successor RTX after Raytheon acquired Websense and the remaining minority interest.

  What changed. Francisco Partners completed the acquisition of Forcepoint and assumed ownership of the cybersecurity company.

  Aftermath. The company returned to private-equity ownership and later pursued a sharper separation between commercial and government cybersecurity activities.

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• 2016Consolidation under the Forcepoint brandStrategy

  Raytheon had combined Websense with its own cyber-products activities and newly acquired network-security businesses.

  What changed. The businesses were merged and presented as Forcepoint, with operating units covering cloud, network, data and insider-threat, and government security.

  Aftermath. The reorganization established the modern Forcepoint identity and broadened the portfolio beyond web filtering.

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• 2009Use of Websense technology in Yemen internet censorshipControversy

  Reports indicated that Yemeni authorities used Websense technology to monitor public internet use and block tools intended to conceal online activity. Websense cut off Yemen's access to database updates, but critics argued that some access restrictions remained and questioned the effectiveness of the response.

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• 2005Criticism of web-filtering overblockingControversy

  The American Civil Liberties Union's Rhode Island branch criticized Websense filtering as overly broad, arguing that it could deny library users access to legitimate information. Later studies and commentary also described false positives, including non-pornographic sites classified under inappropriate categories.

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• 2024Forcepoint Federal becomes Everfox

  The divested government cybersecurity operation adopted the Everfox brand.

  Product generation
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• 2023Forcepoint agrees to divest government cybersecurity business

  Francisco Partners agreed to sell Forcepoint's government cybersecurity business to TPG as the company refocused on commercial security.

  M&A
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• 2020Francisco Partners agrees to acquire Forcepoint

  Francisco Partners announced an agreement to purchase Forcepoint from RTX, with completion in January 2021.

  M&A
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• 2019Raytheon acquires remaining Forcepoint interest

  Raytheon acquired the remaining minority interest in the cybersecurity business.

  M&A
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• 2017Forcepoint acquires Skyfence technology from Imperva

  Forcepoint acquired Imperva's cloud access security broker product, expanding its cloud-security portfolio.

  M&AProduct launch
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• 2017Forcepoint acquires RedOwl

  The acquisition added user and entity behavior analytics capabilities to Forcepoint's insider-threat offerings.

  M&A
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• 2016Websense and acquired security businesses become Forcepoint

  Websense, Stonesoft, Sidewinder, and Raytheon's cyber-products activities were brought together under the Forcepoint brand.

  Product generation
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• 2016Matthew Moynahan appointed chief executive officer

  Matthew Moynahan became Forcepoint's chief executive during the company's post-acquisition integration period.

  Leadership change
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• 2015Raytheon acquires majority interest in Websense

  Raytheon purchased an 80 percent interest in Websense and combined it with cybersecurity operations of its own.

  M&A
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• 2013Vista Equity Partners acquires Websense

  Websense was taken private by Vista Equity Partners in a transaction valued at $906 million.

  M&A
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• 2000Websense completes initial public offering

  The company formerly known as NetPartners raised $72 million in an IPO while operating under the Websense name.

  Other
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1. Forcepoint
2. Forcepoint official website