CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Adaptive Security vs Barracuda Networks

Adaptive Security sells a platform that consolidates security awareness training, phishing simulations, email security, AI governance and human risk monitoring. Barracuda Networks sells the BarracudaONE cybersecurity platform, which covers email, data, applications and networks and is strengthened by a 24/7 managed XDR service. CISO Tribune files both under Email security. This page sets the two records side by side: what each sells, where it is based, who owns and funds it, the customers it names and its recent news, each fact numbered to its source.

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  • Adaptive Security
  • Barracuda Networks
Adaptive Security vs Barracuda Networks: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
Adaptive SecurityAdaptive Security sells a platform that consolidates security awareness training, phishing simulations, email security, AI governance and human risk monitoring.adaptivesecurity.comBarracuda NetworksBarracuda Networks sells the BarracudaONE cybersecurity platform, which covers email, data, applications and networks and is strengthened by a 24/7 managed XDR service.barracuda.com
What it sells
  • Security Awareness Training[2][3][14][23]Interactive training modules covering AI threats, phishing, voice cloning, and compliance.
  • Phish Triage[2][3][17]Classifies employee-reported emails and takes action on them.
  • Compliance[2][3][21]Compliance and policy training for frameworks such as HIPAA, GDPR, PCI-DSS and CCPA.
  • BarracudaONE[3][12]A cybersecurity platform for email, data, applications and networks.
  • Email Protection[3][6][14]A complete email security solution.
  • Data Protection[3][7][12]Backup and scanning for on-premises and cloud data.
  • Managed XDR[1][3][11]Extended detection and response with a 24/7 SOC.
  • Application Protection[3][9]Web application and API protection on one platform.
Categories
Headquarters
New York, United States[1]Not stated on its pages
Founded
2024[1][17]Not stated on its pages
Ownership and funding
Privately held[1][12][13]Owned by KKR since 2022[2][3][4][7][16]
Named customers
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Recent news
  • October 6, 2026Adaptive Security was named to Fast Company's 2026 Next Big Things in Tech list.[11]
  • June 9, 2026Adaptive Security announced a 15-video security awareness training series starring Conan O'Brien, available to its current enterprise customers.[23]
  • April 23, 2026Adaptive Security published a product update announcing a beta release of its AI Governance capability.[10]
  • December 16, 2025Adaptive Security announced an $81 million Series B with new investors NVIDIA, Bain Capital Ventures, Capital One Ventures and Citi Ventures, plus existing investors.[9]
  • October 28, 2026Barracuda Networks appointed Dan Fletcher as its Chief Financial Officer.[15]
  • July 7, 2026Barracuda acquired Evo Security, an identity and access management provider built for managed service providers.[16]
  • July 7, 2026Barracuda Networks announced it acquired Evo Security, an identity and access management provider built for managed service providers.[4]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
Who it fits
From its own pages, Adaptive Security sells mainly to organizations that want training, simulations, email security and AI governance in one platform. Its enterprise material addresses security teams that use separate tools for each of those functions. Its healthcare material addresses training staff at healthcare organizations, and it describes a hospital and a bank among its customers. Its pages address lean IT and security teams as well as established SOCs.From its own pages, Barracuda sells mainly to lean IT and security teams, small businesses and managed service providers. Barracuda describes easy-to-manage cybersecurity solutions for small business teams without dedicated IT resources. Barracuda sells channel-focused solutions to managed service providers. Barracuda Application Protection is described for applications deployed on-premises, in the cloud or hybrid, and Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is described for multi-site enterprises and managed service providers.
Last verified
September 27, 2026September 27, 2026

Where they overlap

  • Adaptive Security and Barracuda Networks are both filed under Email security.

Where they differ, field by field

  • Adaptive Security's primary category is Security awareness training; Barracuda Networks's is Email security.
  • Adaptive Security is also filed under AI governance. Barracuda Networks is also filed under WAF and WAAP, Data loss prevention and MDR and managed SOC.
  • Adaptive Security lists Security Awareness Training, Phish Triage and Compliance. Barracuda Networks lists BarracudaONE, Email Protection, Data Protection, Managed XDR and Application Protection.
  • Adaptive Security is headquartered in New York, United States.
  • Adaptive Security was founded in 2024.
  • Adaptive Security is privately held. Barracuda Networks is owned by KKR, since 2022.

What it sells: Adaptive Security

What Security Awareness Training does[2][3][14][23]
Training modules are drawn from a library of over 1,000 resources. Triggered and one-time campaigns run automatically, with completion tracked across the organization. Customers can build custom modules from their own policies using Adaptive's AI content creator.
What Phish Triage does[2][3][17]
The Phish Alert Button and AI-powered Phish Triage classify employee-reported emails and automatically take action. Phish Triage remediates confirmed threats and notifies affected employees.
What Compliance does[2][3][21]
Pre-built tracks cover HIPAA, GDPR, PCI-DSS, CCPA, and more. Customers can upload a policy document or describe a requirement to generate training with AI. Audit-ready reports show completions and scores by framework, employee, and date.

What it sells: Barracuda Networks

What BarracudaONE does[3][12]
BarracudaONE unifies cybersecurity solutions in a centralized dashboard. The platform is strengthened by a 24/7 managed XDR service. Bailey is powered by Barracuda IQ, which Barracuda describes as the AI engine and intelligence layer behind BarracudaONE.
What Email Protection does[3][6][14]
Barracuda Email Protection delivers AI-enhanced defenses, automated response and easy deployment. Barracuda Email Protection connects to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace with no mail exchange changes.
What Data Protection does[3][7][12]
Barracuda says data can be backed up to any location including the public cloud. Microsoft 365 data such as emails can be backed up. Backed up data is replicated to the Barracuda cloud with unlimited storage.
What Managed XDR does[1][3][11]
Barracuda Managed XDR is described as able to detect threats earlier and help organizations respond to threats faster. Barracuda says its XDR detects events from 40+ integrated data sources. Barracuda runs a multi-tiered global SOC that provides 24x7x365 service.
What Application Protection does[3][9]
Barracuda Application Protection is an integrated platform that brings a comprehensive set of interoperable capabilities together to ensure complete application security. Barracuda Web Application and API Protection (WAAP) solutions are available as hardware or virtual appliances, as a container and through a SaaS solution.

Questions about Adaptive Security and Barracuda Networks

What do Adaptive Security and Barracuda Networks sell?
Adaptive Security sells Security Awareness Training, Phish Triage and Compliance. Barracuda Networks sells BarracudaONE, Email Protection, Data Protection, Managed XDR and Application Protection.
Are Adaptive Security and Barracuda Networks in the same category?
They share Email security. Adaptive Security's primary category is Security awareness training and Barracuda Networks's is Email security.
Where are Adaptive Security and Barracuda Networks headquartered?
Adaptive Security is headquartered in New York, United States.
When were Adaptive Security and Barracuda Networks founded?
Adaptive Security was founded in 2024.
Who owns Adaptive Security and Barracuda Networks?
Adaptive Security is privately held. Barracuda Networks is owned by KKR, since 2022.
Who are Adaptive Security and Barracuda Networks sold to?
From its own pages, Adaptive Security sells mainly to organizations that want training, simulations, email security and AI governance in one platform. From its own pages, Barracuda sells mainly to lean IT and security teams, small businesses and managed service providers.
What have Adaptive Security and Barracuda Networks announced recently?
October 6, 2026: Adaptive Security was named to Fast Company's 2026 Next Big Things in Tech list. October 28, 2026: Barracuda Networks appointed Dan Fletcher as its Chief Financial Officer.

About Adaptive Security

Adaptive Security sells a platform that consolidates security awareness training, phishing simulations, email security, AI governance and human risk monitoring. Adaptive Security says its products work together or stand alone.[2][3][14]

Adaptive Security says adversaries use AI and LLMs to rapidly generate sophisticated social engineering attacks that exploit organizational complexity at every level. For enterprises, Adaptive Security describes threats that include executive impersonation targeting finance and leadership teams, AI-generated spear phishing built from OSINT data, deepfake voice and video attacks, and inbound email threats that existing gateways miss. Adaptive Security describes attacks that arrive via email, SMS, voice, and video.[2][3][14]

Security Awareness Training consists of interactive training modules covering AI threats, phishing, voice cloning, and compliance, drawn from a library of over 1,000 resources. Triggered and one-time campaigns in Security Awareness Training run automatically, with completion tracked across the organization. Adaptive Security supports custom modules built from a customer's own policies using Adaptive's AI content creator. Adaptive Security says its healthcare training modules are designed to be completed in under 10 minutes. Adaptive Security integrates with Workday, ADP, and other common LMS platforms used in healthcare environments, and supports SCORM exports for organizations that need to push content into an existing learning management system.[2][3][5]

Phishing Simulations recreate the people, channels, and business situations employees trust. Adaptive Security simulates every major attack vector, including email phishing, SMS, voice calls, and deepfake video attacks. When someone fails a simulation, Adaptive Security delivers a short micro-lesson explaining exactly what to look for next time. Podium uses Adaptive Security's realistic voice and SMS phishing simulations alongside automated training campaigns, custom content, and integrations with Okta and Slack.[4][5][15][16]

Adaptive Security's Email Security re-analyzes every inbound message after native filtering to catch the attacks that reach the inbox anyway, then remediates them automatically. Threats are broken out by type: credential phishing, callback phishing, business email compromise, extortion, and malicious payloads. Adaptive Email Security detects and removes phishing attacks, including threats employees never report, and can investigate and remove detected threats across affected inboxes, including messages that have already been delivered. Adaptive Email Security examines who is making a request, how they communicate, and the business context behind the message to identify fraud that may contain no malicious link or attachment.[2][15][18]

The Phish Alert Button and AI-powered Phish Triage classify employee-reported emails and automatically take action. Adaptive Phish Triage automatically classifies and resolves high-confidence reports, allowing the security team to focus on messages that require attention. Adaptive Security can send verdicts and relevant context to supported downstream security workflows through integrations.[2]

Adaptive AI Governance builds a clear view of AI activity across a customer's organization. Adaptive Security says customers can see how employees use AI, prevent sensitive data exposure, and apply context-aware policies across browsers, desktop apps, and developer workflows. Adaptive Security defines shadow AI as the use of AI tools, accounts, or workflows that an organization has not approved or cannot properly see and govern. Adaptive Security distinguishes personal and company AI accounts used in browser-based workflows.[19][20]

For compliance training, Adaptive Security offers pre-built tracks for HIPAA, GDPR, PCI-DSS, CCPA, and more, with state and country-specific content in 40+ localized languages. Customers can upload a policy document or describe a requirement to generate training with AI. Adaptive Security exports audit-ready reports with completions and scores by framework, employee, and date.[3][21]

Adaptive Security says it is SOC 2 Type II certified, HIPAA compliant, and GDPR compliant. Adaptive Security connects to a customer's HRIS and identity provider so employee groups stay in sync automatically as people join, leave, or change roles. Adaptive Security describes Lake City Bank and Bay Federal among its customers, and says First Liberty achieved 98% security training completion, with staff finishing in about a day.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][14][18][21][22]

Adaptive Security on the record

Sources

Adaptive Security full record

  1. [1]Openai backed adaptive security named to fortunes cyber 60 list 302600736Adaptive Security via PR Newswire · prnewswire.com · published October 31, 2025 · Tier A
  2. [2]Protect Against Deepfakes and AI-Powered Attacks | Adaptive SecurityAdaptive Security · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Finance | Adaptive SecurityAdaptive Security · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Education | Adaptive SecurityAdaptive Security · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Healthcare | Adaptive SecurityAdaptive Security · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Government | Adaptive SecurityAdaptive Security · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Hospitality | Adaptive SecurityAdaptive Security · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Sports | Adaptive SecurityAdaptive Security · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Our Series B, and the Future of Security Awareness in the Age of AIAdaptive Security · published December 16, 2025 · Tier A
  10. [10]AI Governance (Beta)Adaptive Security · published April 23, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Adaptive Security Named to Fast Company's 2026 Next Big Things in Tech ListAdaptive Security · published October 6, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Adaptive Security Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier C
  13. [13]Adaptive Security Reviews, Ratings & Features 2026 | Gartner Peer InsightsGartner Peer Insights · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier C
  14. [14]Enterprise | Adaptive SecurityAdaptive Security · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]Payment & Vendor Fraud Prevention | Adaptive SecurityAdaptive Security · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]Deepfake & AI Impersonation Protection | Adaptive SecurityAdaptive Security · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  17. [17]Automated Phishing Response | Adaptive SecurityAdaptive Security · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  18. [18]Credential Phishing Protection | Adaptive SecurityAdaptive Security · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  19. [19]AI Governance & Data Protection | Adaptive SecurityAdaptive Security · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  20. [20]Browser Security | Adaptive SecurityAdaptive Security · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  21. [21]Compliance & Policy Training | Adaptive SecurityAdaptive Security · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  22. [22]Executive Risk Reduction | Adaptive SecurityAdaptive Security · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  23. [23]Conan O'Brien Teams Up With Adaptive Security To Fight AI Threats with LaughsPR Newswire · published June 9, 2026 · Tier A

Barracuda Networks full record

  1. [1]barracuda.comBarracuda Networks · barracuda.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]barracuda.comBarracuda Networks · barracuda.com · published March 10, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]BarracudaONE® AI-powered cybersecurity platform | Barracuda NetworksBarracuda Networks · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Barracuda Acquires Evo Security to Deliver Complete Identity ResilienceBusiness Wire · published July 7, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Cybersecurity Solutions: Email, Apps, Network, Data | Barracuda NetworksBarracuda Networks · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Email Security & Email Protection Services | Barracuda NetworksBarracuda Networks · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Data Protection Solutions | Barracuda NetworksBarracuda Networks · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Securing Collaboration Across Cloud Apps | Barracuda NetworksBarracuda Networks · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Application Protection & Security Solutions | Barracuda NetworksBarracuda Networks · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Network Security Solutions & Services | Barracuda Network Protection | Barracuda NetworksBarracuda Networks · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Managed XDR (MXDR) Solution | Barracuda Managed XDR | Barracuda NetworksBarracuda Networks · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]What’s New | Barracuda NetworksBarracuda Networks · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]AI Security Solutions for Generative AI | Barracuda NetworksBarracuda Networks · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Security for Managed Service Providers | Barracuda NetworksBarracuda Networks · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]Barracuda Appoints Dan Fletcher as Chief Financial OfficerBarracuda Networks · published October 28, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]Barracuda Acquires Evo Security: Advancing Complete Identity-Driven Cyber Resilience for the AI EraBarracuda Networks Blog · published July 7, 2026 · Tier A

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