Cisco is reportedly in negotiations to acquire US-based cyber asset management specialist Axonius for $2BN, the latest deal indicating how deeply enterprise security is becoming intertwined with customer experience strategy.
The potential deal, reported by Calcalist, would strengthen Cisco’s expanding enterprise security portfolio, and comes during a period of increased M&A activity, including ServiceNow’s recent acquisition of Armis.
Like Armis, Axonius was founded by former IDF intelligence veterans. Its platform creates a centralized inventory of all the devices, applications, cloud assets and user accounts that connect to an enterprise’s network and correlates data from existing security and IT tools so that they can have a “single source of truth” to manage network access.
As enterprises manage omnichannel customer interactions at scale, every digital touchpoint from contact center applications to mobile app backend and customer data platforms relies on assets that must be continuously monitored and secured. Gaps in visibility can expose sensitive customer data and disrupt service continuity.
Axonius’s technology integrates with more than 300 security and management solutions. It is designed to be deployed quickly so that enterprises can identify missing controls and automatically enforce security policies. That automation translates into reduced downtime, fewer incidents that affect customers and faster remediation if an incident does happen.
In October 2025, Axonius expanded its platform with a series of AI-driven enhancements designed to help security teams move faster from insight to action. The company introduced Axonius AI alongside major updates to Axonius Asset Cloud and the launch of Axonius for Healthcare. New features include automated inventory classification, business unit and owner identification and non-human identity classification. The healthcare-specific features are available now and expanded AI capabilities will reach general availability in the first half of 2026.
Axonius has raised roughly $700MN to date from investors including Accel, Silver Lake, Bessemer Venture Partners, Iconiq Capital and Alkeon Capital. In July last year, it acquired Cynerio, a cybersecurity firm specializing in protecting medical devices in hospitals, a sector where security failures have direct, real-world customer and patient consequences.
Despite the report, Axonius denied that it’s in takeover negotiations, stating: “Axonius is not in talks to be acquired by Cisco. Our strategy is to build a durable, independent company. We are focused on execution, serving our customers, and continuing our growth. That is where our attention is.”
But while the company rejected the idea publicly, as Zeus Kerravala, Principal Analyst, ZK Research told CX Today:
“Generally when there is smoke there is fire.”
A potential sticking point is the valuation.