Barracuda Networks security suite covers email, network, and backup protection. See 2026 ownership (KKR), pricing approach, features, pros and cons.
Barracuda Networks is a cybersecurity company founded in 2003 and headquartered in Campbell, California. It began with spam-filtering and email security appliances and has since grown into a broader security portfolio covering email, applications, networks, and data backup.
The company primarily serves small and mid-sized businesses, often reaching them through a network of managed service providers (MSPs) and resellers rather than relying solely on direct enterprise sales, which distinguishes it from security vendors focused almost exclusively on large enterprise accounts.
Barracuda has changed ownership more than once. It was a publicly traded company (NYSE: CUDA) from 2013 until Thoma Bravo took it private in 2018; Thoma Bravo then sold Barracuda to KKR in a deal announced in April 2022 and completed in August 2022. As of the most recent public reporting, KKR owns Barracuda Networks.
Barracuda's product lines are typically grouped into four areas: Email Protection (anti-phishing, spam filtering, impersonation and account takeover protection), Application Protection (web application and API security delivered as a service), Network Protection (CloudGen Firewall and the SecureEdge SASE platform for secure remote access), and Data Protection (backup and disaster recovery appliances and cloud services).
Many of Barracuda's offerings are designed to be managed centrally, which appeals to MSPs handling security for many small business clients at once, and the company has also expanded into extended detection and response (XDR) style managed security services.
Because Barracuda sells a portfolio of distinct security products rather than a single unified suite, most customers select and license individual product lines based on their needs rather than a single blanket 'Barracuda' subscription.
Barracuda does not publish self-service list pricing for most products. Pricing is quote-based, driven by factors such as the specific product line, number of users or mailboxes protected, appliance or virtual instance sizing, and contract length.
A significant share of Barracuda's business flows through MSPs and channel partners, who often bundle Barracuda products into their own managed security offerings, which further means end pricing can vary by reseller.
Prospective buyers typically need to request a quote or demo directly from Barracuda or an authorized partner to get current pricing for a specific product and deployment size.
Based on public reporting, Barracuda Networks is owned by the investment firm KKR, which acquired the company from Thoma Bravo in a deal announced in April 2022 and completed in August 2022.
Yes. Barracuda Networks was listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker CUDA following its 2013 IPO, until Thoma Bravo took it private in 2018.
Barracuda Networks was founded in 2003 by Dean Drako, Michael Perone, and Zach Levow.
Barracuda Networks is headquartered in Campbell, California, USA.
Barracuda's main product areas are email security, application and API security, network security (CloudGen Firewall and SecureEdge SASE), and data backup/disaster recovery, along with managed XDR security services.
Barracuda does not publish standard list pricing for most products; pricing is quote-based and depends on the specific product, deployment size, and whether it is purchased directly or through a partner/MSP.
Barracuda's products are built for organizations, primarily small and mid-sized businesses, and are frequently delivered through managed service providers rather than sold to individual consumers.
Yes, Barracuda has historically positioned much of its portfolio, and its centralized management tooling, around MSPs that resell and manage security for multiple small business clients.