The landscape of cybersecurity has come a long way since the days of ARPANET’s infamous Creeper and Reaper malware attacks in the 1970s.
In fact, Statista predicts that the revenue in the cybersecurity market will soar to an impressive $183.10 billion. As our world becomes increasingly interconnected, the industry focuses squarely on safeguarding individuals and their valuable assets.
For example, tech giants like Apple, MasterCard, and Meta each wield access to your personal data. These behemoths frequently ask for your information, touting secure websites, robust apps, and fortified back-end storage systems. So the question remains: Which cybersecurity companies pull the most weight, directly focusing on your security?
Whether you’re looking for a career switch or just getting started in the cybersecurity industry, you might want to know the major players protecting your data, where they’re located, their origins, services, offered certifications, and job availability. 
To determine the top companies, we analyzed the latest stock filings and determined which had the largest market capitalization.
Market cap—or market capitalization—is what you get when you multiply the price of a company’s stocks and the total number of purchased shares, thus giving you an idea of its relative size and value. These prices fluctuate daily. 
The following organizations are the definitive American heavyweights. Each pushes the tech boundaries of protecting information systems, networks, devices, and your data. This list highlights only cybersecurity-focused companies and deliberately excludes those like Microsoft and Cisco, known for other flagship products.
Market capitalization: $85 billion*
Ticker symbol: PANW
Headquarters: Santa Clara, Calif.
Origins: The company was founded in 2005 by Nir Zuk, a former CheckPoint engineer. It started gaining traction in 2011 when Gartner listed it as an emerging leader in its Magic Quadrant for Network Firewalls. Palo Alto Networks debuted on the New York Stock Exchange the following year, raising more than $260 million with its initial public offering—the fourth-largest tech IPO of the year. Nikesh Arora assumed the role of Chairman and CEO in 2018.
Overview: The Palo Alto Networks platform includes advanced firewalls and cloud-based offerings, which extend protection to various security domains. Since its start, the company claims it has thwarted more than 8 billion cyber attacks.
Offers certifications: Yes
Hiring: Yes
Market capitalization: $77 billion*
Ticker symbol: CRWD
Headquarters: Austin, Texas
Origins: CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm, was conceived in 2011 by former McAfee EVP George Kurtz and came on the scene in 2012 with incident response services. Later, in 2013, the company released its flagship product, Falcon, which is made for endpoint protection and threat intelligence. Under Kurtz’s leadership as CEO, the company has assisted the U.S. Department of Justice and corporations such as Sony Pictures in resolving numerous high-profile cyber-espionage incidents.
Overview: CrowdStrike, a leading cloud-based endpoint and workload protection provider, offers integrated antivirus solutions alongside robust threat intelligence and incident response capabilities. HR companies such as BIPO, financial institutions like Goldman Sachs, and local governments, including the City of Las Vegas, rely on CrowdStrike to safeguard their critical systems. The company also publishes an annual global threat report. 
Offers certifications: Yes
Hiring: Yes
Market capitalization: $52 billion*
Ticker symbol: FTNT
Headquarters: Sunnyvale, Calif.
Origins: Brothers Ken and Michael Xie founded the “fortified network” company in 2000 with the aim of building the highest-performing network security fabric, helping organizations protect their data from malware, ransomware, and phishing attacks. Fortinet had its initial public offering in 2009, selling shares at $1.25 on a split-adjusted basis (a 2-for-1 stock split in June 2011 and the 5-for-1 stock split in June 2022).
Overview: The company’s security solutions range from hardware like routers and access points to its flagship FortiGate firewall, cloud-based Security Fabric, and the FortiClient VPN. The networks and data at organizations like IHG Hotels and Resorts, Jersey Mike’s, and Dave’s Hot Chicken are protected by Fortinet. 
Offers certifications: Yes
Hiring: Yes
Market capitalization: $32 billion*
Ticker symbol: NET
Headquarters: San Francisco, Calif.
Origins: Cloudflare, established in 2004 by current CEO Matthew Prince and Lead Engineer Lee Holloway, initially embarked on a mission to trace the origins of email spam through Project Honey Pot. This project monitored how spammers harvested email addresses from websites. However, it wasn’t until Prince’s tenure at Harvard Business School in 2009, where he crossed paths with Michelle Zatlyn, now COO, that the business model pivoted toward identifying, blocking, and firewalling cyber threats. Cloudflare debuted in 2019, trading shares at $15 each.
Overview: Cloudflare, a global server network, is designed to enhance performance and provide security for websites of all sizes, from small businesses to high-traffic platforms. Its comprehensive suite of services includes Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), Server-Side Encryption (SSE), application and infrastructure optimization, developer tools, and IT insights.
Offers certifications: No
Hiring: Yes
Market capitalization: $31 billion*
Ticker symbol: ZS
Headquarters: San Jose, Calif.
Origins: Established in 2007 by Jay Chaudhry, a man whose humble beginnings trace back to a village devoid of running water, Zscaler was built on the principle of “Zero Trust Security.” This concept mirrors a nightclub bouncer’s job of granting access to people only after thorough authentication and verification.
Overview: The firm boasts the globe’s most expansive security cloud, with more than 150 data centers scattered worldwide. Its Zero Trust Exchange encompasses three key services: Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA), a conduit for secure user connectivity on the public internet; Zscaler Private Access (ZPA), a shield for enterprise-wide internal applications; and Zscaler Digital Experience (ZDX), a network monitoring tool adept at identifying user experience and productivity challenges.
Offers certifications: Yes
Hiring: Yes
This next list of cybersecurity companies is arranged alphabetically. It includes other notable names, each contributing greatly to the growth and development of the cybersecurity industry.
Many companies seek education or previous work experience when hiring, so Fortune compiled the top cybersecurity master’s degrees.
*All company valuations in this article are accurate as of Feb. 27, 2024.
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