Ericsson’s Cradlepoint will acquire Ericom Software to build a platform for cellular-first customers to integrate secure access service edge (SASE), zero trust and cloud security capabilities across wireless and 5G/cellular networks.

“Enterprise adoption of 5G requires a new network security approach that minimizes attack surface caused by IoT and IIoT device proliferation, provides agentless identity-based secure access from ever-growing IoT/IIoT devices and users to private and Software-as-a-Service applications,” said Cradlepoint SVP Manish Tiwari.

While Cradlepoint’s Netcloud Exchange platform focuses on private cellular network and WAN security, the Ericom acquisition allows Cradlepoint to provide a converged networking and security software stack for cellular-focused Enterprise customers, Tiwari told SDxCentral. A unified platform can offer “asset visibility and segmentation” in private cellular networks and enables common security policy across both cellular networks and WANs for users and devices mobility.

“The need to connect users, applications and devices securely at scale has accelerated with the emergence of 5G,” Tiwari said. “Broadband (4G/5G) IoT connections will dominate by the end of 2028, and strong growth in private cellular networks will add more managed and unmanaged devices to public and private networks.”

Traditional security solutions generally rely on agents on the devices. However, this approach “doesn't work for IoT/IIoT devices or other unmanaged devices connecting over 5G/cellular networks,” he added.

The Ericom acquisition further extends the Netcloud Exchange architecture, allowing Cradlepoint to offer a unified 5G Enterprise security stack with private cellular network security, WAN security and web security to protect devices and users, providing consistent policies regardless of whether they are connected to 5G WAN or a private cellular network.

Ericom complements Cradlepoint NetCloud Exchange by providing full secure access service edge (SASE) capabilities for both users and devices using agentless architecture for zero trust-based access, Tiwari said.

“SASE and zero trust are critical for IoT devices that are exploding in number and are rapidly becoming favorite targets of bad actors,” he added.

For example, in-vehicle use cases often transmit confidential information, requiring the data to be secured from end-to-end. Fixed sites and remote workers also need the broad protection provided by SASE and zero trust because of their frequent web activity and cloud Application usage.

As 5G and cellular networking continues to gain momentum within the Enterprise market for both 5G WAN and private cellular networks, Cradlepoint is focused on procuring a 5G/cellular SASE stack.

Ericom will hand over its ZTEdge security services edge (SSE) platform to provide Cradlepoint customers with security capabilities including remote browser isolation (RBI), secure web gateway (SWG), Cloud Access Security Broker, virtual meeting isolation (VMI), web app isolation (WAI), and zero trust network access (ZTNA). KuppingerCole rated Ericom ninth on a list of 10 SASE integration suites.

Ericom solutions are delivered on the Ericom Global Cloud platform. According to Tiwari, the Ericom Global Cloud enables Cradlepoint to deliver these security capabilities using an as-a-service model for “easy consumption.”

Cradlepoint will “be working on integrating Ericom capabilities with NetCloud Exchange to provide a 5G SASE stack in the near future,” he said.