- CrowdStrike plans to acquire SGNL for about $740 million in a mostly cash deal
- The acquisition strengthens CrowdStrike’s identity security for AI and non human identities
- SGNL brings real time, continuous access control instead of static privileges
- The deal is expected to close by the end of April 2026 with no planned layoffs
CrowdStrike has confirmed plans to acquire continuous identity security startup SGNL in a deal valued at approximately $740 million. The transaction is structured as a mostly cash agreement and remains subject to customary regulatory approvals.
If all goes to plan, the acquisition is expected to close by the end of April 2026, aligning with CrowdStrike’s first quarter of fiscal 2027.
The move signals a clear strategic intent. CrowdStrike is positioning itself at the center of what it sees as the next major shift in cybersecurity, one driven by artificial intelligence, automation, and the rapid rise of non human digital identities.
SGNL’s technology is designed specifically to address that gap. Rather than relying on static permissions that are granted once and rarely revisited, SGNL continuously evaluates identity context, behavior, and risk signals in real time.
That capability is becoming increasingly important as organizations struggle to manage access for a growing mix of human users, service accounts, and autonomous AI agents.
Why identity is becoming the new security battleground
Identity has long been considered a core pillar of cybersecurity, but its importance is accelerating rapidly. According to forecasts from IDC, the global identity security market is expected to grow from $29 billion in 2025 to $56 billion by 2029.
That growth is being fueled by the expansion of cloud platforms, SaaS adoption, and now the emergence of agentic AI systems that act independently and at machine speed.
These AI agents often require broad access to systems and data in order to function effectively. In practice, that can mean they operate with privileges similar to or greater than those of human administrators.
The risk is obvious. If an AI agent is compromised, misconfigured, or manipulated, the potential blast radius can be enormous.
CrowdStrike argues that legacy identity models were never designed for this reality. Static credentials and standing privileges assume predictable users and relatively stable environments. Modern enterprises are anything but static.
Access needs can change minute by minute, and the security model must be able to respond just as quickly.
By bringing SGNL into its Falcon platform, CrowdStrike aims to deliver identity security that adapts continuously, using live signals rather than fixed rules.
The company believes this approach will allow customers to reduce unnecessary privileges while still enabling speed and innovation.
A bold vision for the AI era
CrowdStrike founder and chief executive George Kurtz framed the acquisition as a fundamental rethink of how access should work in modern environments.
In his view, AI agents operate with superhuman speed and scale, effectively turning every agent into a privileged identity that must be carefully protected at all times.
Rather than granting long lived access, the future model CrowdStrike is advocating centers on real time decisions. Access is evaluated continuously, based on context such as behavior patterns, risk posture, and environmental signals. If conditions change, access can be adjusted or revoked immediately.
SGNL’s chief executive Scott Kriz echoed that perspective, arguing that standing privileges represent one of the most significant and underappreciated risks in today’s enterprise environments.
By joining CrowdStrike, SGNL gains global scale and integration into one of the industry’s most widely deployed cybersecurity platforms, accelerating its mission to eliminate persistent access risks.
Importantly, CrowdStrike has indicated that SGNL’s employees will be retained following the acquisition, with no layoffs planned. This suggests the company views SGNL not as a feature tuck in, but as a strategic capability it wants to grow and develop.
Market confidence despite recent turbulence
The announcement comes after a challenging period for CrowdStrike. A major incident in 2024 temporarily weighed on the company’s share price and raised questions about operational resilience.
However, the market response since then has been notably positive. Shares have recovered, and revenue for the most recent full fiscal year rose by nearly one third.
That financial momentum has given CrowdStrike the flexibility to pursue acquisitions that align with its long term vision. The SGNL deal is a clear example of that strategy in action. Rather than focusing solely on endpoint or threat detection, CrowdStrike is expanding into identity as a core control plane for security.
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