Data Security Startup Sentra Launches in U.S. Market

Former Leaders from Israel Defense Forces' Unit 8200 Focus on Cloud Data Security with Backing from Bessemer Venture Partners and Zeev Ventures

Named by Gartner® as a Sample Vendor for Data Security Posture Management

New Technology Alliance with Wiz Further Reduces Cloud Risk for Customers

NEW YORK, Sept. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sentra, a cloud data security company, today formally announced its arrival in the U.S. market with the opening of its new North American headquarters in New York City. Backed by Bessemer Venture Partners and Zeev Ventures, Sentra enables security teams to gain full visibility and control of cloud data, as well as protect against sensitive data breaches across the entire public cloud stack. The company was recently recognized by Gartner as a Sample Vendor for Data Security Posture Management in the Hype Cycle™ report for Data Security 2022.^[1]

By 2025, Gartner estimates that over 95% of new digital workloads will be deployed on cloud-native platforms, up from 30% in 2021.^[2] The adoption of cloud infrastructures has transformed the way engineers and apps interact with data, which often leads to moving, duplicating, or changing sensitive data assets. The vast majority of business leaders simply do not know where their organization's sensitive data is, and the growth of the data attack surface leads to more sensitive data being exposed or leaked.

Sentra's founding team, composed of a highly experienced group of cyber leaders, was trained to deliver practical solutions to complex problems. Together, they are now focusing on one of the most challenging issues facing organizations in the cloud today: how to leverage the power of data without security slowing the business down.

"The data attack surface might be a relatively new concept, but it's based on principles security teams are well aware of — increasing visibility and limiting exposure," said Yoav Regev, co-founder and CEO of Sentra. "When it comes to the cloud, the most effective way to accomplish this is by controlling where sensitive data is stored and making sure that data is always traveling to secure locations. Simply put, as data travels, so should security."

Sentra allows businesses to regain control over their data vulnerabilities and shrink the data attack surface by finding all cloud data, classifying it according to sensitivity, and then offering actionable remediation plans for data security teams. This data-centric approach ensures security professionals stay focused on the most critical data, including intellectual property, customer data, or sensitive employee records. Remediation plans can include eliminating duplicate shadow data, limiting access only to authorized users, and maintaining adequate security when data is in motion.

Sentra's agentless solution easily integrates into a customer's infrastructure. The solution is gaining traction with enterprises plagued by data overload due to its ease of use and ability to achieve rapid results. 

"Sentra's value was immediate. It enables us to map critical sensitive data faster and secure it," said Gal Vitenberg, application security architect at Global-e, a NASDAQ-listed e-commerce company. "As an organization that prioritizes the security of data in the cloud, using Sentra enables our teams to operate quickly while maintaining our high levels of security requirements."

Sentra recently established a technology alliance with Wiz, provider of the leading cloud-native application protection platform, to offer enterprises comprehensive cloud and data security. 

"Sentra's technology provides enterprises with a powerful understanding of their data," said Assaf Rappaport, CEO of Wiz. "Together, our solutions effectively eliminate data risks and secure everything an enterprise builds and runs in the cloud. This is a true technology partnership between two organizations with industry-leading technology."

Sentra's founding team is led by Asaf Kochan, former commander of Unit 8200 of the Israel Defense Forces; CEO Yoav Regev, former head of the cyber department in 8200 Unit; CTO Ron Reiter, a serial entrepreneur; and VP Product Yair Cohen, who previously held a senior position at Datadog.

Founded in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 2021, Sentra secured early investments totaling $23 million.

Its key advisors and investors are power players in the cybersecurity industry, including Jason Chan, former VP of information security at Netflix; Assaf Hefetz, co-founder and CTO at Snyk; and Dean Sysman, CEO and co-founder of Axonius.

"Created and led by experienced entrepreneurs and veteran leaders of the IDF's Unit 8200, Sentra unites unparalleled security insight with strategic and technological strength to create a data security platform that is agile, comprehensive, and robust," says Amit Karp, partner, Bessemer Venture Partners. "Having a footprint in both Israel and the U.S. will help Sentra accelerate its growth and address the data security needs of enterprises around the globe."

A proud member of the Cloud Security Alliance, more information about Sentra's data-centric security platform is available here.

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Co-headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, and New York City, Sentra has been operating in stealth mode since Summer 2021. Sentra allows security teams to automate the detection and remediation of data security vulnerabilities across a company's entire cloud environment. Sentra has secured early investments from a range of sources including Bessemer Venture Partners and Zeev Ventures. For more information, please visit www.sentra.io.

Media Contacts:
Sarah Lytle
Bateman Agency for Sentra
[email protected]
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^[1]According to Gartner, Data Security Posture Management provides visibility as to where sensitive data is, who has access to that data, how it has been used and what the security posture of the data store or application is.
^[2] Gartner Says Cloud Will Be the Centerpiece of New Digital Experiences, Nov. 2021

SOURCE Sentra