Cloudflare is a US-based technology company that provides content delivery network services to approximately 20% of the world's websites. Its services include cloud security, DDoS protection, domain registration, and secure access service edge (SASE).
Founded by Matthew Prince and Lee Holloway in 2009, Cloudflare was created to help businesses improve their digital security, initially focusing on combating spam emails.
Founded: 2009
Current CEO: Matthew Prince (pictured)
HQ: San Francisco
Annual revenue: $1.2 billion (2023)
Having previously collaborated on Project Honey Pot, an initiative designed to expose the techniques used in bulk mailing and email fraud, Prince and Holloway, along with Michelle Zatlyn, who they met at Harvard Business School, aimed to develop a security service to protect companies from DDoS attacks. The initial version of Cloudflare was released to beta testers from the Project Honey Pot community, improving site load times and offering protection against attacks.
Today, Cloudflare manages some eight million websites, API's, and applications through a vast network of 300 data centres stationed across 120 countries. The company also serves 13,000 networks, including all the major ISPs, according to the company's latest data.
When and how was Cloudflare founded?
Cloudflare started with a fortuitous meeting in 2009, when Prince met Michelle Zatlyn (now the company's president) at the Harvard Business School, where he was studying for an MBA. Outlining Project Honey Pot to Zatlyn, she immediately saw the business potential to turn the project into a viable security service to help companies protect themselves specifically from DDoS attacks.
Working on the business plan for what would become Cloudflare while they continued to study, Holloway built the first prototype of the system they wanted to create. In 2009, their business plan won the prestigious Harvard Business School Business Plan competition.
The same year, all three spent the summer refining their business, which attracted investments from Ray Rothrock, Venrock, and Carl Ledbetter from Pelion Venture Partners. Using selected Project Honey Pot community members, the initial version of Cloudflare was released to beta. Not just securing the websites it protected, the low latency of the system also improved site load times by an average 30%.
Cloudflare was officially launched in September 2010 at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco. Since then, the company has continued to innovate in the digital security space. The company went public in 2019 and a year later, COO Michelle Zatlyn became president of the company.
What does Cloudflare sell?
Cloudflare is a reverse proxy system that intercepts potential DDoS attacks before they reach their intended victim. Their systems are SPDY and HTTP/2 compliant, and support HTTP/2 Server Push.
In the company's latest state of applications service report, Cloudflare states it now handles, on average, 45 million HTTP requests per second.
Speaking to SDxCentral, Cloudflare's CTO, John Graham-Cumming, said: "The variation in attack patterns was one of the biggest surprises and really highlighted the diversity of ongoing attacks across the network. We are still receiving hits from CVE [common vulnerabilities and exposures]-specific rules written over eight years ago."
The company has continued to develop new products and services in the digital security space, including Cloudflare Workers, a freemium VPN for mobile devices called WARP, an eSIM to support Zero Trust, and Cloudflare One – a SASE platform.
In 2023, Cloudflare moved into the AI space when they announced the company would deploy Nvidia GPUs at the edge combined with Nvidia Ethernet switches to bring AI compute capability to customers.
“AI inference on a network is going to be the sweet spot for many businesses: private data stays close to wherever users physically are, while still being extremely cost-effective to run because it’s nearby,” said Matthew Prince, CEO and co-founder, Cloudflare.
“With Nvidia’s state-of-the-art GPU technology on our global network, we’re making AI inference — that was previously out of reach for many customers — accessible and affordable globally.”
Cloudflare mergers and acquisitions
Since its inception, Cloudflare has been active in acquiring several companies that complement its core competencies, including:
- StopTheHacker and CryptoSeal in 2014
- Eager Platform Co. in 2016
- S2 Systems in 2020
- Zaraz in 2021
- Vectrix and Area 1 Security in February 2022
At the time of Area 1 Security's acquisition, CEO Matthew Price said: "Email is the largest cyberattack vector on the Internet, which makes integrated email security critical to any true Zero Trust network. That's why we're welcoming Area 1 Security today to help make Cloudflare's platform the clear leader in Zero Trust."
In 2023, Cloudflare was named as a leader in the latest Forrester Wave report into email security, stating: “Cloudflare makes a strong entry into email security with its Area 1 acquisition."
Similarly, IDC MarketScape for Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) said of Cloudflare: “From inception, Cloudflare has focused on small and medium-sized businesses but has since pursued an aggressive product strategy to support enterprise security needs. Cloudflare Access is the foundation of its enterprise zero trust suite, and the linchpin in its enterprise security strategy.”
In 2024, Cloudflare acquired BastionZero to enhance its zero-trust infrastructure access capabilities. The company continues to be recognized for its advancements in email security and zero-trust network access (ZTNA).
Cloudflare's key executives
A team of seasoned professionals steers Cloudflare. At the forefront is Matthew Prince, who serves as the co-founder, chief executive officer (CEO), and chairman. Prince co-founded Cloudflare in 2009, aiming to improve Internet performance and security.
Michelle Zatlyn, another co-founder, holds the roles of president, chief operating officer (COO), and board member. Zatlyn has been key in the company's expansion, overseeing operations and strategic initiatives, contributing significantly to Cloudflare's global reach.
The company's financial management is overseen by Thomas Seifert, the chief financial officer (CFO). Seifert's financial expertise has been crucial, particularly during Cloudflare's initial public offering in 2019.
John Graham-Cumming, the chief technology officer (CTO), is responsible for technological developments and innovations at Cloudflare, driving the company's technical strategy. Stephanie Cohen, as the chief strategy officer, is instrumental in shaping Cloudflare's strategic direction and partnerships, helping to maintain its industry leadership.
This leadership team has been pivotal in establishing Cloudflare as a significant technology sector entity committed to enhancing Internet security and performance.
What can customers expect from doing business with Cloudflare
Cloudflare is a major player in the field of web performance and cyber security, dedicated to improving the speed, reliability, and security of internet properties. The company's diverse portfolio includes services such as content delivery networks (CDN), distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) mitigation, internet security, and serverless computing.
The company places significant emphasis on partnerships to realise its vision, offering various partner programmes designed to provide tools, resources, and support to strengthen customer relationships and drive growth. These initiatives equip partners with the necessary training, incentives, and support to ensure product expertise, effectively managing customer lifecycles and delivering optimal solutions.
For both customers and partners, Cloudflare aims to create an ecosystem that facilitates the achievement of business and technology goals related to managing and securing data across complex IT environments. The focus on innovative and secure internet services, combined with strong collaboration with partners, positions Cloudflare as a key facilitator of digital transformation for contemporary enterprises.
With its comprehensive suite of services and commitment to security and performance, Cloudflare remains a significant player in the technology sector, assisting businesses in navigating and thriving within the digital landscape.
