Guardz, a cybersecurity startup on a mission to protect small and midsize businesses (SMBs) with AI-driven automation, has announced a $56 million Series B funding round. The round was led by ClearSky, with participation from Phoenix Financial, Gillot Capital Partners, SentinelOne, Hanaco Ventures, iAngels, GKFF Ventures, Lumir, and others.

Led by co-founder and CEO Dor Eisner, Guardz is building what many in the industry are calling the "Zapier of cybersecurity" for SMBs  -  a platform that automatically detects vulnerabilities, mitigates threats, and ensures regulatory compliance across SaaS, cloud, email, and endpoints, all without the need for a dedicated IT team.

In a digital landscape where SMBs are now the most targeted yet least equipped segment, Guardz is answering a critical market need: autonomous, affordable, and scalable security infrastructure built for the non-expert.

---

What Guardz Offers

Guardz delivers an all-in-one cybersecurity platform that provides real-time threat detection and automatic remediation for small businesses. Key features include:

• Continuous monitoring of cloud services, SaaS apps (like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365), endpoints, and data leaks
  
• Automated incident response, including password resets, MFA enforcement, phishing email removal, and endpoint lockdown
  
• Cyber insurance integration that matches businesses to coverage based on their risk profile
  
• MSP-friendly architecture, enabling resellers and IT service providers to secure clients at scale
  
• Compliance automation for standards like SOC2, HIPAA, GDPR, and NIST
  

This is enterprise-grade security  -  simplified, pre-configured, and actionable out of the box.

---

The Real Shift: Security Without Complexity

Here’s where Guardz made its masterstroke: they didn’t design for what security should be  -  they designed for what SMBs actually do. That means no complex configurations, no expensive consultants, and no week-long onboarding. Just action.

Founders tend to build for the "ideal user"  -  someone security-aware, technically capable, and fully engaged. But that user doesn’t exist in most SMBs. Guardz built for the real user: busy, under-resourced, and desperate for decisions made on their behalf.

The takeaway? The highest-leverage feature you can offer isn’t control  -  it’s trust at scale. Guardz wins by giving users fewer choices and higher confidence. When your platform becomes the expert, your user doesn’t need to be. That’s a product moat few startups think to dig.

And they monetized that trust beautifully: the MSP distribution model. Instead of selling one SMB at a time, Guardz powers entire portfolios of managed service providers  -  each onboarding dozens or hundreds of clients. That move turned a fragmented customer base into a scalable channel.

---

Why SMBs Are Cybercrime’s New Frontier

Historically, cybersecurity innovation has focused on the enterprise. But today, it’s SMBs that are increasingly under siege.

• Over 61% of SMBs experienced a cyberattack in 2023 (Verizon DBIR)
  
• Average cost of a data breach for SMBs: $2.98M (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report)
  
• Only 14% of SMBs feel prepared to face a cyber threat (Ponemon Institute)
  
• Ransomware attacks on SMBs have grown 146% in the past 12 months (Coveware)
  
• Over 85% of SMBs rely on cloud-based productivity suites but lack layered defense mechanisms (IDC)
  

The situation is made worse by the lack of internal IT resources and cybersecurity expertise. Guardz is stepping into this vacuum, building a platform that acts as both shield and advisor  -  with minimal input require. 

---

The Market Potential

This funding comes at a critical time. SMBs now represent the fastest-growing attack surface in cybersecurity. Research and market trends underscore the urgency:

• 61% of SMBs experienced a cyberattack in 2023, and 40% were hit more than once (Verizon DBIR)
  
• Only 14% of SMBs feel adequately prepared to defend against cyber threats (Ponemon Institute)
  
• The average SMB breach cost reached $2.98 million last year (IBM Security Report)
  
• AI-powered attacks like phishing, spoofing, and business email compromise have surged 270% YoY (ENISA Threat Landscape 2024)
  
• Global SMB cybersecurity spending is projected to reach $90.5 billion by 2030, growing at a 13.7% CAGR (Allied Market Research)
  

Despite the scale of the threat, most SMBs still rely on outdated antivirus software, basic firewalls, or  -  worse  -  no protection at all. Guardz is addressing that vulnerability by making cybersecurity invisible, intelligent, and interoperable.

---

What’s Next for Guardz

With this new $56 million funding, Guardz plans to double down on product development, global expansion, and MSP enablement.

Their roadmap includes:

• Launching an AI threat analyst, trained on SMB-specific risks
  
• Expansion into North America, Europe, and Asia, with regional compliance modules
  
• Integrations with more SaaS tools and CRM systems, including HubSpot, QuickBooks, and Shopify
  
• Strengthening partner programs for IT providers, consultants, and value-added resellers
  
• Further investment into cyber insurance partnerships, bridging the gap between protection and risk financing
  

Guardz’s ambition is clear: to become the default cybersecurity layer for small businesses everywhere  -  invisible when things are safe, automatic when things go wrong.