Exonar

Exonar provides a data discovery platform tailored for enterprises needing to manage and secure vast quantities of information. Founded in the UK in 2007, the firm was established by Adrian Barrett and Derrick Hirst. Barrett's background includes leadership roles at Cisco and Lumeta, a network data specialist, which provided him with substantial experience in data, analytics, and information security. The company's genesis was a specific client challenge: identifying what data was stolen in a cyberattack from two million documents, a task that had already occupied nine people for nine months. Exonar developed a solution in 21 days, laying the groundwork for its core product. The current CEO, Danny Reeves, brings 30 years of experience from technology and leadership positions at major firms like Deutsche Bank and Capita. His focus is on scaling organizations, a key aspect of his role since joining Exonar.

The company's primary offering is a software platform that identifies where an enterprise's data is stored, who has access to it, and its relevance. It is designed to handle both structured and unstructured data, such as emails, documents, and records stored in various locations from file shares to the cloud. Using a big data architecture and machine learning, the software indexes, classifies, and maps data in real-time. This allows clients to address governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) issues, manage sensitive information, and respond to regulations like GDPR. The business serves large organizations that struggle to gain visibility into their own data estates, which can include up to 92% unstructured data. By creating a detailed inventory of all data, the platform helps protect against data breaches and unlocks business value from previously untapped information.

Exonar's growth has been supported by several funding rounds, raising a total of $9.97 million. Key investors include Beringea, Amadeus Capital Partners, Downing Ventures, and Winton Ventures. The first seed round occurred in April 2017, followed by a significant Series A round in January 2019. In February 2021, the company secured additional funding to fuel its expansion. A major milestone occurred in March 2022 when Exonar was acquired by NowVertical Group, a big data and analytics software and services company. Exonar's 'Reveal' software was integrated into NowVertical's 'NOW Origin' product suite, expanding its data security and discovery capabilities.

Keywords: data discovery, information governance, risk management, compliance software, unstructured data, data mapping, data classification, GRC, information security, enterprise data management, big data architecture, machine learning, data inventory, cyber risk, data protection, sensitive data identification, NowVertical Group, Adrian Barrett, Danny Reeves, data intelligence