CrowdStrike Acquires Onum for $290M to Enhance AI-Driven Cybersecurity Capabilities

CrowdStrike buys Onum for $290M to boost Falcon SIEM

CrowdStrike has announced its acquisition of Onum, a Madrid-based data observability startup, for $290 million. The deal, revealed on August 27, is a strategic move to bolster CrowdStrike's AI-native security capabilities amidst the escalating landscape of AI-driven cyberattacks. According to CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz, the company is evolving into "the Reddit of security data." This statement underscores the significance of data aggregation and analysis in modern cybersecurity strategies. The acquisition of Onum aligns with CrowdStrike's broader vision of leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance its security offerings. The Onum acquisition, completed within three months, marks a relatively swift transaction for CrowdStrike. Kurtz indicated that the company had temporarily paused deal-making following a global IT outage in 2023. Despite this pause, CrowdStrike maintained an active mergers and acquisitions pipeline, engaging with various startups, venture capital firms, and entrepreneurs. This proactive approach ultimately led to the acquisition of Onum. Onum specializes in real-time pipeline detection, identifying anomalies in data as it flows into enterprise systems. The company is backed by Dawn Capital and Insight Partners. CrowdStrike emphasizes that Onum's technology transforms raw telemetry into enriched intelligence in milliseconds, thereby accelerating threat detection, reducing storage expenses, and enhancing customer outcomes. The integration of Onum is expected to amplify the capabilities of CrowdStrike's Falcon Next-Gen SIEM platform, providing AI-driven defenses with more intelligent, rapid, and cost-effective telemetry. Kurtz highlighted the strategic importance of data in cybersecurity, stating, "The more data we get in, the larger the moat we actually have, and the greater the opportunity to solve bigger and broader problems from an AI perspective." He also outlined the comprehensive exposure of security systems, noting that they "have access to a workflow, and it has access to systems that are outside of your own boundaries... So, it has all of the exposure that we're protecting against." CrowdStrike's Q2 earnings report exceeded expectations, but a weaker revenue outlook led to a roughly 4% decrease in shares during after-hours trading. Since 2017, CrowdStrike has acquired eight companies, including Humio for $400 million in 2021 and Flow Security for a reported $200 million in 2024. Kurtz drew a contrast between CrowdStrike's acquisition strategy and the larger deals made by competitors. He referenced Palo Alto Networks' $25 billion acquisition of CyberArk and Google's proposed $32 billion acquisition of Wiz as examples of alternative approaches to market consolidation. These comparisons emphasize CrowdStrike's focus on targeted acquisitions to enhance specific technological capabilities. Kurtz emphasized the growing importance of security in the face of evolving cyber threats. He stated, "We know there's going to be a greater need for security tomorrow than there is today." He also pointed out that generative AI is compressing the response window for defenders, as attackers are leveraging more accessible tools to move faster.

'We Started Becoming The Reddit Of Security Data,' Says CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz After $290 Million Onum Buyout - CrowdStrike Holdings (NASDAQ:CRWD), Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW)

The race to secure artificial intelligence has turned into one of the defining battles of 2025, and CrowdStrike CRWD just raised the stakes with a $290 million acquisition of Madrid-based data observability startup Onum. The deal, announced on Aug. 27., comes as AI-driven cyberattacks multiply, lessening the time defenders have to react, and as CrowdStrike co-founder and CEO George Kurtz told Fortune, the battle is shifting into "good versus evil" fought through technology. CrowdStrike also reported Q2 earnings last week that topped expectations, though a weaker revenue outlook pushed shares down about 4% in after-hours trading. Don't Miss: Your Last Chance to Invest in Pacaso Before Their Global Expansion -- Offer Ends Sept 18 They Sold Their Last Real Estate Company for Nearly $1B -- Now They're Building the Future of U.S. Industrial Growth Why Onum Fits Into CrowdStrike's AI-Native Security Strategy The Onum acquisition came together in three months, marking one of CrowdStrike's earliest transactions since last year's global IT outage. Kurtz told Fortune that the company deliberately paused deals after the disruption but kept its mergers and acquisitions pipeline active through talks with startups, venture capital firms, and entrepreneurs. Onum, which is backed by Dawn Capital and Insight Partners, builds real-time pipeline detection technology designed to analyze and flag anomalies in data as it flows into enterprise systems. CrowdStrike said the architecture transforms raw telemetry into enriched intelligence within milliseconds, which can speed detection, reduce storage costs, and improve outcomes for customers. According to CrowdStrike, Onum can process up to five times more events per second than competing systems, cut data retention costs by as much as 50%, and deliver up to 70% faster incident response with 40% less ingestion overhead. Trending: 'Scrolling To UBI' -- Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. You can invest today for just $0.30/share. Kurtz on the Future of AI Agents and the Growing "Moat" Kurtz described Onum as a natural fit for CrowdStrike's AI-driven security ambitions. "If you think about the data we have, we started becoming the Reddit of security data for all these AI models. The more data we get in, the larger the moat we actually have, and the greater the opportunity we have to solve bigger and broader problems from an AI perspective. That's really driving our vision for AI-native SOC," he told Fortune. Looking ahead, Kurtz said the company's mission includes protecting emerging AI agents. "Our goal is to secure every AI agent," he said. "An AI agent is basically superhuman. It has access to data. It has an identity, though it might be a non-human identity. It has access to a workflow, and it has access to systems that are outside of your own boundaries... So, it has all of the exposure that we're protecting against." See Also: Dump Your Financial Advisors. One AI Platform Manages Everything -- With Zero AUM Fees. Book Your Demo Today. The deal highlights CrowdStrike's strategy in avoiding high-priced acquisitions, Fortune says. Since 2017, the company has acquired eight firms, including Humio for $400 million in 2021 and Flow Security in 2024 for a reported $200 million. Kurtz contrasted this strategy with billion-dollar deals by competitors such as Palo Alto Networks' PANW $25 billion acquisition of CyberArk and Google's proposed $32 billion acquisition of Wiz. The Bigger Picture: Cybersecurity Demand Will Only Grow Kurtz gave a grim assessment to Fortune: "With gen AI, we're democratizing destruction." He said generative AI compresses the window for defenders to respond because attackers are moving faster with more accessible tools. CrowdStrike added that integrating Onum will extend the advantage of its Falcon Next-Gen SIEM platform by fueling AI-driven defenses with smarter, faster, and more cost-effective telemetry. Kurtz left no ambiguity about the company's outlook: "We know there's going to be a greater need for security tomorrow than there is today." Read Next: Bill Gates Invests Billions in Green Tech -- This Tree-Free Material Could Be the Next Big Breakthrough Image: Shutterstock CRWDCrowdStrike Holdings Inc$410.92-0.62%Stock Score Locked: Want to See it? Benzinga Rankings give you vital metrics on any stock - anytime. Reveal Full ScoreEdge RankingsMomentum82.56Growth24.81QualityN/AValue8.97Price TrendShortMediumLongOverviewPANWPalo Alto Networks Inc$191.100.30%Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs