Private company

WatchGuard

WatchGuard Technologies, Inc., is an American cybersecurity company based in Seattle, Washington.1

Last updated Oct 18, 2026.

Overview

Feb 1996Founded1

See how the biggest companies compare on our leaderboards

WatchGuard Technologies, Inc., is an American cybersecurity company based in Seattle, Washington. It specializes in network security solutions aimed at safeguarding computer networks from external threats such as malware and ransomware.2

How it started

History

WatchGuard was initially established in 1996 under the name Seattle Software Labs, Inc. Its inaugural product was a network firewall known as the WatchGuard Security Management System, which included the WatchGuard Firebox, a "firewall in a box" security appliance, along with configuration and administration software.

In 1997, the company rebranded itself as WatchGuard Technologies, Inc.

WatchGuard Technologies, Inc. went public, trading on the Nasdaq in July 1999.

The company was acquired in 2006 by Vector Capital and Francisco Partners. Vector Partners became the majority owner in 2022. Bruce Coleman assumed the role of interim CEO.

In August 2007, Joe Wang took over as the company's permanent CEO, succeeding Coleman.

From Wikipedia’s article on WatchGuard, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Timeline

  1. Feb 1996Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2