Acronis

Acronis works to develop storage management, backup, hard disk management, and other system tools. It was founded in 2003 by entrepreneurs born in the USSR and later adopted citizenship of other countries. Since 2008, the company is registered in Switzerland.

Business in Russia

Main article: Acronis in Russia

• Acronis: Partner Program

History

2024: EQT Partners bought Acronis for $4 billion

On August 7, 2024, the Swedish investment company EQT announced an agreement to acquire a controlling stake in the Swiss company Acronis, specializing in the development of information security solutions. The financial terms of the transaction as of the specified date are not disclosed.

The transaction reportedly involves the EQT X fund. Founders, management and existing investors, including funds and accounts managed by CVC, Springcoast and BlackRock Private Equity Partners, will remain significant minority shareholders in Acronis. The official statement says that as part of the transaction, the value of Acronis exceeds the value recorded during the last round of financing in 2022: then the company's capitalization was estimated at $3.5 billion. According to Reuters, within the framework of the agreement with EQT, the cost of Acronis's business may be at $4 billion.

Information security company Acronis worth $4 billion changed owners

It is said that Acronis has 15 representative offices around the world as of mid-2024. The company's products use approximately 20 thousand service providers and more than 750 thousand enterprises in more than 150 countries. Necessary regulatory approvals are required to complete the EQT transaction. It is planned to close the transaction during the first or second quarter of 2025. The EQT consultants are Milbank and Bär & Karrer.

We are thrilled that EQT has become a major shareholder that supports our strategic expansion and shares our growth vision. We would like to thank existing investors for their support, as well as the Acronis team for their work that helped us achieve such results, "says Acronis CEO Ezequiel Steiner[1]

2023: 12GB of corporate IT data leaked

On March 9, 2023, it became known about the hacking of Acronis IT systems. The cybercriminal has made public more than 12 GB of all kinds of data, including certificate files and Python scripts.

The attack on the Broken Forums site was reported by a hacker hiding under the pseudonym Kernelware. According to him, although the $120 million company is engaged in data protection and information security, it itself had "disgusting security," and the reason for the hack was that the attacker was bored, so he decided to "humiliate" Acronis. Files with a total volume of approximately 12.2 GB are posted in the public domain. They contain certificates, command logs, system configurations, system information logs, file system archives, Python scripts for the Acronis database, backup configuration, and a large amount of other information.

Acronis Director of Information Security Kevin Reed confirmed the attack, but said that it affected only one client and that all other data remains secure. According to him, no product of the company was injured in the attack. However, Acronis experts continue to study the problem and possible consequences of cyber intrusion.

On March 9, Acronis was mentioned in a message on Broken Forums. We immediately launched an investigation and it confirmed that no Acronis products were affected. However, judging by the information we have, the credentials used by a specific client to upload diagnostic information to Acronis support have been compromised. We are working with this client and have suspended access to his account until the problem is fixed, "Reed said.[2]

2021

Acronis co-founder Sergei Belousov changed his name to Serg Bell

In 2021, Sergei Belousov changed his name and surname to Serg Bell, the American newspaper The Washington Post reported in March 2022 in an article entitled "From Russia with Money: Silicon Valley Distances from Oligarchs"^[3]. In April 2022, information about the name change was added to the page of the co-founder of Acronis in Wikipedia.

Patrick Pulvermüller - the new CEO of the company

On July 7, 2021, Acronis announced the appointment of Patrick Pulvermüller as the new CEO. He officially took up new duties on July 1. Read more here.

Raising $250 million of investments, an estimate of $2.5 billion

On May 4, 2021, Acronis announced that it had raised over $250 million in investments as part of a round led by CVC Capital. As a result of the deal, the manufacturer of backup and recovery solutions was valued at more than $2.5 billion.

Acronis intends to use the funds received to expand its product portfolio and support a network of partners promoting the company's solutions, the company said. It is also planned to expand the staff of engineers in Bulgaria, Israel, Singapore, Romania and the United States.

As one of the founders and head of Acronis Sergey Belousov told RBC, new investors received "a little more than 10%" in the company, another 6.5% among investors of the previous round, and the founders retain more than 50% of the shares. In addition to CVC Capital Partners, "other technology investors" participated in the round, but Belousov chose not to disclose their names.

In a conversation with Reuters, the businessman noted that the new investment was one of the steps towards providing liquidity to the company's shareholders through IPOs, mergers and acquisitions or dividend payments. By May 4, 2021, Acronis does not plan to go public due to an unpredictable market situation, but admits the possibility of listing in the future. Belousov considers exchanges in New York, Switzerland and Singapore to be preferred sites for the initial public offering of securities.

We've always seen the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq as a major market. But there are other options. I am a Singapore citizen and we are a Swiss company. Therefore, naturally, we have Swiss banks that serve us as corporate clients, "he said.

After raising funds, Acronis, according to the entrepreneur, plans to actively hire engineers, invest in the development and support of the Acronis Cyber ​ ​ Protect product, as well as in marketing.^[4]

Acquisition of African partner Synapsys

Acronis, a representative in the field of cyber defense, on March 16, 2021 informed TAdviser about the acquisition of Synapsys, its long-standing partner located in Cape Town, South Africa, which specializes in the supply of Acronis Cyber ​ ​ Protection Solutions through service providers. Read more here.

2020

CyberLynx cybersecurity consulting provider purchase

In mid-November 2020, Acronis announced the acquisition of CyberLynx at a price it did not name. The company also decided to keep other terms of the deal secret. Read more here.

Plans to Expand Your Global Cloud Data Center Network

On October 21, 2020, it became known that Acronis announced plans to expand its global cloud data center (data center) network, which will include centers in Canada, New Zealand and Bhutan. These centers will enable the full range of Acronis cyber security solutions to be available to partners and organizations around the world, which is especially important when two-thirds of employees work remotely and rely on cloud services.

Acronis also announced plans to create another 100 compact data centers that will be connected to a global network that already includes data centers in the USA, Great Britain, Switzerland, France, Germany, Japan, Australia and Singapore.

{{quote 'The global distribution of peripheral systems means an increase in the amount of data that circulates outside corporate networks, - said Sergey Belousov, founder and CEO of Acronis. -Compact Data Center allows you to implement various peripheral solutions, especially in emerging markets. As part of Acronis' strategy to integrate global and on-premises services, this expansion enables us to deliver locally cost-effective, cost-effective, speed and low latency cloud services that our global partners need. This aligns with our commitment to offering the cloud services and cyber protection partners and users in the digital world need. }}

According to Gartner forecasts, by 2022 the global cloud management and security services market will increase by more than 25%, and Technavio predicts that by 2024 the global peripheral data center market will grow by almost 14%, so the additional cloud data centers announced today will allow Acronis to strengthen its position in both directions.

Over the past years, the dependence of organizations on cloud access to technological data and controls has increased, and the pandemic has only accelerated its spread around the world, says Phil Goodwin, director of R&D at IDC. - The development of a cloud data center network, especially in emerging markets, allows Acronis to find partners and customers who are in high demand for cloud platforms and data protection and security solutions.

Further expansion allows Acronis to increase the reach of cyber security solutions delivered through a platform Acronis Cyber Cloud that enables service providers to provide, backup disaster recovery, protection from, harmful ON secure collaboration, and data authentication service based blockchain on - all with a single console.

{{quote 'Data plays a key role in the activities of any organization, which means that it is necessary - ITproviders such as us providing solutions, "said Martin Broad, President and CEO of Robson Communications. - Acronis understands what providers need to build a portfolio of services and protect customers - and not only in terms of the solutions they offer, but also in terms of pricing and implementation. Expanding the Acronis data center network will help significantly more service providers around the world maintain productivity and protect their customers. }}

Additional data centers will provide service providers with access to the Acronis Cyber ​ ​ Protect Cloud solution. It integrates backup, disaster recovery, antivirus, cyber, and endpoint management tools.

Appointment of Rene Bonvani as Chairman of the Board of Directors

On March 11, 2020, Acronis announced the appointment of Rene Bonvani as chairman of the board of directors. Read more here.

Acronis - among the European companies that attracted the most investments in 5 years

2019

Acquisition of 5nine

On December 10, 2019, Acronis announced to TAdviser the acquisition of 5nine, a global provider of cloud management and security solutions for Hyper-V and Azure systems from Microsoft. As part of the acquisition agreement, 5nine becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Acronis. Read more here.

Raising $147 million in investments and an estimate of $1 billion

On September 18, 2019, Acronis announced it had raised $147 million from a group of investors. The investment bank Goldman Sachs invested the most in the company, but how much is not specified. It is only known that new investors received less than 10% of the company's shares, and co-founders Sergei Belousov and Ilya Zubarev retained control and own more than 70% of the shares for two.

As a result of the financial deal, the manufacturer of systems for backup and recovery of data was estimated at more than $1 billion.

Acronis is set to spend the investment raised to expand its development team, create additional data centers, grow its North American business and acquire companies in the market.

According to Sergey Belousov, the investment round organized by Goldman Sachs will help the company accelerate product development through the acquisition of companies and the acquisition of additional resources, as well as make business growth even faster.

He noted that in 2019 Acronis expects to reach 30% business growth against 20% in 2018. The company does not disclose its financial performance, but claims it has been profitable since its inception.

We're investing in Acronis in an incredibly fast growth phase, "says Goldman Sachs Private Capital Investing Group Vice President Holger Staud. - The results of the company's commercial activities indicate that it is an incredibly valuable new asset in our portfolio, and the growth of this company will exceed forecasts.

By September 2019, more than 5 million consumers and 500 thousand business representatives use Acronis software, including 80% of the largest Fortune 1000 companies. The vendor's products are distributed through 50 thousand partners in 150 countries in 30 languages.^[5]

2018

Opening of a research center in Bulgaria

On October 17, 2018, Acronis reported that the research network became even wider after the opening of the European office and research center in Sofia (Bulgaria). This strategically important point will not only help to be closer to European customers, but also provide an opportunity to attract educated and dedicated technical specialists from Europe.

Acronis is constantly looking for programmers, scientists and information security specialists to develop technologies. To do this, a network of research centers has been created located in Asia, Europe and America. The global presence makes it possible to continuously improve technologies in the field of cyber defense, artificial intelligence and blockchain.

Acronis Research Center in Bulgaria

In early 2018, Acronis management decided to invest $50 million over the next three years to create 300 additional jobs for high-tech professionals in its Sofia office, which primarily targets cyber protection technologies, data center support and the development of related products and services.

The office is located heart in Sofia itself, on San Stefano Street, in close proximity to the main transport highways and centers of busy urban life, and, among other things, is the location of the European Cyber ​ ​ Defense Center of Acronis. The Bulgarian office will monitor various environments data protection and information about emerging threats.

In recent years Sofia has established itself as a regional hub for information and communication technology with more than 40,000 people employed in the IT sector and 90% of technology companies in the country.

Professional development of technical specialists

The team working in Sofia as of October 2018 consists of 30 engineers, but by the end of 2018 the team will grow to 50 employees. Plamen Toshev, managing di⁠rektor of the Acronis branch in Bulgaria, says that the company attracts local talented specialists, provides them with the development of their abilities, the necessary training so that team members can build a successful career in the company.

Internships and professional training

As part of the launch of the Acronis development center in Bulgaria, cooperation with local universities and public organizations has been launched, and joint projects in the field of education are planned. The company is already working with Sofia University and is expanding its partnership with scientific and educational organizations.

At the initiative of the Acronis Foundation, a non-profit organization whose main goal is to create educational opportunities for the dissemination and protection of knowledge, the company will offer various internship and training programs for programmers and students. An internship at the company will not only help students better prepare for the implementation of their skills in the real world, but also create additional opportunities for graduates who dream of a career in a global IT company.

Purchase of Bulgarian software developer T-Soft

Acronis, a company specializing in cyber defense and hybrid, cloudy storages on August 1, 2018 announced the strategic acquisition of a Bulgarian company T-Soft specializing in development and the software expansion of its research (R&D) activities in. The amount of To Europe the transaction was not disclosed. In addition, Acronis announced that its subsidiary, located in, Sofia will change its name to Acronis Bulgaria. More. here

2017

Acronis, Runa Capital and Parallels in Malta

Acronis, Runa Capital and Parallels announced in October 2017 the opening of the European Technology Centre on the Mediterranean island of Malta.

The Republic of Malta is undergoing a transformation into an international technology center. Within the framework of the concept of "Smart Island" developed by the Maltese Government, technology is the main factor in the business and transformation of Malta into a European ICT innovation center.

The Acronis, Runa Capital and Parallels companies Group will support Malta in its transformation by accelerating innovation and participating in national initiatives to adopt blockchain technology. Runa Capital will be the first venture capital company in the republic to provide funding to local technology startups. Acronis and Parallels will launch joint research projects with local companies and Parallels and create a new research center focused on advanced data protection technologies, artificial intelligence and blockchain. The companies are expected to invest $10 million in the project over three years through expanding their presence in the country, venture capital, research and development.

Companies support Malta's ambition to become a hub for using applications with blockchain technology. Earlier, the Cabinet of Ministers of Malta approved the first draft of the national strategy for promoting blockchain, thereby providing support to local companies in introducing this technology into various sectors of the economy. Acronis will share the experience of using blockchain technology. Acronis is the first global company to launch a blockchain-based data notarization product, Acronis Notary. In the first six months since the launch of the product, Acronis Notary has certified more than 500,000 data backups, which is an indisputable confirmation of the authenticity of their data for users.

Major flagship product update - Acronis Backup

In 2017, Acronis launched a new version of its flagship product, Acronis Backup 12.5, at the Moscow office. In the comments to the photo album on this occasion on the Acronis page on the VK social network, the company noted that "the largest Acronis development team is working in Russia, which worked to create and release a corporate solution that has no analogues in the world - Acronis Backup 12.5"^[6]

The entire Acronis Backup product line is now available on a single^[7] platform^[8].

2015: Acronis implements quantum encryption

On September 30, 2015, Acronis announced plans to introduce quantum encryption technologies into its data protection products. The Swiss ID Quantique will help her in this, the investor of which is the QWave  Capital fund^[9] by Sergei Belousov. ^[9].

Acronis will develop quantum cryptography technologies. The vendor plans to equip their products with them and believes that this will provide a higher level of security and privacy. Acronis expects to be the first company on the market to implement such protection methods.

Acronis' partner in the development of quantum cryptography will be the Swiss company ID Quantique, with which the vendor has entered into an agreement. ID Quantique is a company associated with Acronis CEO Sergei Belousov - he is the founder of QWave Capital, one of ID Quantique's investors.

One of the technologies that Acronis plans to implement in its solutions is quantum key distribution. The encryption key is transmitted over the fiber channel via single photons. An attempt to intercept or measure certain parameters of physical objects, which in this case are carriers of information, inevitably distorts other parameters. As a result, the sender and receiver detect an attempt to obtain unauthorized access to the information. It is also planned to apply quantum random number generators and encryption that is resistant to quantum algorithms.

ID Quantique technologies focus on information protection in the public sector and commercial companies.

"Quantum computing requires a new approach to data protection," Sergei Belousov said. - We at Acronis are convinced that privacy is one of the most important components in comprehensive data protection in the cloud. Today, we are working with leading companies such as ID Quantique to ensure that users of our cloud products get the safest solutions in the industry and are protected from future threats and attacks. "

Acronis expresses confidence that quantum encryption will help save customers (who believe that the provider will be able to read their data) from fear of sending data to the cloud.

2014

18 offices worldwide, 650 employees

According to Acronis co-founder Sergei Belousov, as of the beginning of 2014, the company has 18 offices around the world, in total Acronis sells software in 14 languages ​ ​ in 180 countries. The company is registered in Switzerland, but its largest offices are in Moscow, Munich and Boston. In total, Acronis has about 650 employees, 350 of whom are in Russia (mainly developers).

Until recently, we conducted all development exclusively in Russia, but now about 10% of these functions have been transferred to the United States, - said Belousov[10]

Purchase of the American company nScaled

On September 18, 2014, Acronis announced the acquisition of nScaled, a provider of Disaster-Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS). One of the sellers of the company was the Almaz Capital Partners fund. For more information, see: nScaled.

Back Up It Now! Acronis covers Queen

Opening of headquarters in Singapore, Shmulevich new COO

Acronis announced in September 2014 the launch of an international headquarters in Singapore. In 2001, Acronis began operations in Singapore as a division of SWsoft. Acronis also considers the development of a research and development center in Singapore, as an addition to the existing center in Moscow. The development of the new centre and cooperation with universities in Singapore and elsewhere will be overseen by Mark Schmulevich, who joined Acronis as chief operating and strategic officer.

2010: Revenue of $150 million

Acronis works to develop storage management, backup, hard disk management, and other system tools. The company has representative offices in North America, Europe and Asia, and its products have been translated into 10 languages ​ ​ and are very popular all over the world, from the United States to Japan. The philosophy of Acronis is to create products that are accessible to users of any qualification.

Acronis does not disclose its revenue at this time. However, the founder of the company, Sergei Belousov, in his presentations repeatedly mentioned a turnover of about $150 million. The bulk of the company's revenue comes from the US and Western European markets. Acronis has offices in 18 countries of the world, the development is based in Moscow.

The Acronis business is rapidly gaining momentum. The Russoft report (November 2011) states that the total export volume of the three largest product Russian companies (Kaspersky Lab, Parallels, Acronis) in 2010 exceeds $500 million.

Achieving a turnover of $1 billion was a goal for both Parallels and Acronis, the report said. Their annual income 2-3 years ago exceeded $100 million, and the growth rate is at least 30% per year.

In the ranking of the fastest growing companies in the United States of Inc.5000 (in all industries), DataArt, Exigen Services and Acronis were noted, which, although they place their headquarters outside the Russian Federation, are Russian at the location of the main production site, Russoft also recalls in its study^[11].

2008: Registration in Switzerland

In 2008, Acronis was incorporated in Switzerland.

2006: Turnover growth by 150% per year

According to Maxim Tsyplyaev, the company's turnover at that time increased by about 150% per year. The sales structure is as follows: about 50% of products are sold in the USA and Canada. The share of European countries is 30-35%, the share of Asia and Japan is about 10%. The remaining 7-8% are supplies to Russia, countries of Eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East.

As of 2006, the company employed over 300 people. Of these, 180 specialists - software developers - were in Russia^[12]

2003: Founding of the Company

Acronis was founded by graduates of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) Sergey Belousov, Ilya Zubarev and Maxim Tsyplyaev. Acronis is working on technologies, the foundations of which have been laid since 1991 as part of the Russian startup FizTechSoft.

Tsyplyaev in an interview in 2006 said that the company was formed by a group of people at the end of 2000^[13] The first Acronis Disk Director Suite was released in early 2001. The new product began to be sold almost instantly, but the developers understood that in Russia it was impossible to count on large volumes of licensed software sales, and decided to bring products to foreign markets.

The first were the markets of Germany and Japan. In these countries, we already had partners in our previous activities, they knew about the plans and products of Acronis, so it was not difficult to agree on the promotion of software, "said Tsyplyaev. - And in the summer of 2001, we were able to open an office in the United States and start working in the American market in full force.

Products began to be sold in Russia later than in the West.

A 2016 publication on the Acronis blog on the Habr website said that since 2000, work on the product has been carried out by a company called SWSoft. The owner of Fiztech Software bought the technology and the team. And when the line of products based on the then written code began to be sold, SWSoft singled out the future Acronis as a separate company. The new name appeared in January 2001 (at the same time the COM and RU domains were registered). Officially, the company appeared in 2003^[14].

Notes