Absolute Security

Absolute Security is a cybersecurity company whose business originated in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1993 under the name Absolute Software. Founded by Christian Cotichini and Fraser Cain, the company initially developed technology for managing, tracking, and securing computers regardless of their physical location. Over time, it became particularly associated with persistent endpoint technology: software embedded in device firmware or BIOS that can maintain a connection to an organization’s protected computers even when operating systems are reinstalled, devices are reimaged, or conventional management agents are removed or disabled. The company’s persistence capability became embedded in personal-computer hardware through original-equipment-manufacturer relationships beginning in 2005. This model gave Absolute a distinctive position in endpoint management and cyber resilience. Rather than relying solely on software installed within an operating system, the company’s technology was designed to support continuing visibility, remote control, investigation, remediation, and, where appropriate, data deletion on protected devices. Its OEM ecosystem has included major manufacturers such as Dell, Lenovo, HP, and Samsung. Absolute expanded beyond device tracking through acquisitions and product development. The company acquired the LANrev computer-management product suite in 2009, later marketing it as Absolute Manage, and acquired assets of LiveTime Software in 2012, relaunching them as Absolute Service, an IT service-management product. In 2013 it acquired Palisade Systems, adding data-loss-prevention capabilities. Absolute later sold the Absolute Manage and Absolute Service products to HEAT Software in 2015 and refocused its business on endpoint security and data and device protection. The company was listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange from 2000 and later traded under the symbol ABST on both the TSX and Nasdaq. In May 2023, it announced an agreement to be acquired by Crosspoint Capital Partners for approximately $657 million. The transaction closed in July 2023, after which the company was delisted and operated as a private business. In 2024, it changed its name from Absolute Software to Absolute Security to emphasize its broader cybersecurity and cyber-resilience positioning. Absolute Security’s current platform is organized around Secure Endpoint and Secure Access. Secure Endpoint is intended to provide persistent visibility, endpoint health and security monitoring, vulnerability remediation, device control, and data-protection capabilities. Secure Access supports secure, compliant, zero-trust connectivity to cloud resources, private data centers, and on-premises systems. The company serves businesses, public-sector organizations, and educational institutions, with regional offices and operations reported in Vancouver, Austin, Tokyo, Reading, and Ho Chi Minh City in addition to its Seattle headquarters. The brand’s positioning centers on cyber resilience: helping organizations retain control and recoverability when devices are lost, stolen, offline, tampered with, or removed from ordinary IT-management systems. Its product strategy combines firmware-associated persistence with endpoint security, vulnerability management, data-loss prevention, and secure access. In September 2024, Absolute Security announced the acquisition of Syxsense, an endpoint and vulnerability-management provider, further extending its endpoint-management capabilities.

Absolute Security began in 1993 in Vancouver, British Columbia, as Absolute Software. Christian Cotichini and Fraser Cain founded the company to develop tools for managing, tracking, and securing computers across locations. Its later differentiation came from persistence technology, which was designed to preserve a management connection to protected devices even when the operating system or conventional software-management layer was altered. In 2000, the company became publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange. A major technical milestone followed in 2005, when its Persistence technology was embedded into the firmware or BIOS of personal computers. This created the basis for long-term relationships with original equipment manufacturers, allowing Absolute capabilities to ship with devices from the factory. The company subsequently worked with manufacturers including Dell, Lenovo, Hewlett-Packard, and Samsung. In 2007, Microsoft recognized Absolute as a gold-certified partner. Absolute established a European office in Newbury, United Kingdom, in November 2006 and opened an Austin, Texas, office in 2009 to support United States sales. Its portfolio expanded through acquisitions. In December 2009, it acquired the LANrev product suite from Pole Position Software. The product was rebranded as Absolute Asset Management and later became known as Absolute Manage. In November 2012, Absolute acquired assets from LiveTime Software, a helpdesk and IT service-management provider. Those assets were relaunched in January 2013 as Absolute Service, which received PinkVERIFY ITIL 3 certification. In June 2013, Absolute acquired Palisade Systems, adding data-loss-prevention technology to its portfolio. That year it also launched Absolute Safe Schools, an initiative intended to promote safer use of mobile devices in participating schools and provide assistance in cases of device loss or theft. John Livingston left the chief executive and board roles in December 2013, and Geoff Haydon became chief executive and a director in June 2014. In 2015, the company renamed Computrace as Data and Device Security and refocused its commercial strategy. It sold Absolute Manage and Absolute Service to HEAT Software in October of that year, concentrating more heavily on endpoint security, device resilience, and data protection. Christy Wyatt became chief executive officer and president in November 2018. During her tenure, the company’s public positioning increasingly addressed ransomware, remote work, and zero-trust security. In May 2023, Absolute announced that Crosspoint Capital Partners would acquire the company for approximately $657 million. The transaction was completed in July 2023, and the company was delisted from the TSX and Nasdaq. In 2024, the business changed its name to Absolute Security, presenting the new name as a better representation of its long-standing cybersecurity and cyber-resilience activities. In September 2024, it announced the acquisition of Syxsense, expanding its endpoint and vulnerability-management capabilities. The modern Absolute Security platform is described as comprising Secure Endpoint and Secure Access. Secure Endpoint supports monitoring, remediation, vulnerability identification and patching, device control, and data protection. Secure Access provides zero-trust-oriented connectivity to cloud, private-data-center, and on-premises resources. Together with firmware-associated persistence, these capabilities support the company’s central proposition: maintaining visibility and control over endpoints and access pathways when conventional security controls are weakened, removed, or unavailable.

1. 2024Brand renamed Absolute Security

   The company adopts Absolute Security as its name to emphasize cybersecurity and cyber resilience.

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2. 2024Syxsense acquisition announced

   Absolute Security announces the acquisition of endpoint and vulnerability-management provider Syxsense.

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3. 2023Acquisition by Crosspoint Capital Partners

   Crosspoint Capital Partners completes its acquisition of Absolute, after which the company is delisted from the TSX and Nasdaq.

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4. 2018Christy Wyatt becomes CEO and president

   Christy Wyatt is appointed chief executive officer and president.

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5. 2015Business refocus and product divestiture

   Computrace is renamed Data and Device Security, while Absolute Manage and Absolute Service are sold to HEAT Software.

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6. 2013Palisade Systems acquired

   The acquisition adds data-loss-prevention technology to Absolute’s portfolio.

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7. 2012LiveTime assets acquired

   Absolute acquires assets of LiveTime Software, which are relaunched as Absolute Service in 2013.

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8. 2009Austin office opens and LANrev is acquired

   Absolute opens an Austin office and acquires the LANrev computer-management suite, later marketed as Absolute Manage.

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9. 2006European office opens

   The company establishes a European office in Newbury, United Kingdom.

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10. 2005Persistence technology enters device firmware

    Absolute Persistence technology is embedded in PC firmware or BIOS, supporting the company’s OEM-based endpoint-resilience model.

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11. 2000Public listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange

    Absolute becomes a publicly traded company on the TSX.

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12. 1993Absolute Software is founded

    Christian Cotichini and Fraser Cain establish the company in Vancouver, British Columbia, to develop computer-management and security technology.

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A cyber-resilience and endpoint-security provider helping organizations maintain persistent visibility, control, protection, and secure access across distributed devices and networks.

• Absolute Cyber Resilience PlatformCyber resilience platform

  The company’s broader platform for maintaining visibility, control, and recoverability across organizational endpoints and access environments. It incorporates capabilities historically associated with Data and Device Security and organizes them around endpoint protection and secure access. The platform is designed for situations in which devices are lost, offline, reimaged, tampered with, or no longer reachable through ordinary operating-system agents.

• Absolute Secure EndpointEndpoint security

  An endpoint-security product line intended to provide continuing device visibility, endpoint health monitoring, security-policy support, vulnerability identification, remediation, and control. Its resilience model is linked to Absolute’s persistence technology, which can maintain a management relationship with supported devices beyond the normal operating-system layer.

• Absolute Secure AccessSecure access and zero trust

  A secure-access product line supporting compliant, zero-trust-oriented connectivity to resources hosted in public clouds, private data centers, and on-premises environments. It extends Absolute’s proposition beyond endpoint status and recovery into the control of user and device access pathways.

• Persistence technologyFirmware-associated endpoint technology2005

  Absolute’s distinctive persistence technology is associated with device firmware or BIOS and is shipped through OEM relationships on supported computers and other devices. When activated, it is designed to help organizations connect to, track, control, repair, or remove data from protected devices even after reimaging, operating-system changes, or tampering.

• Absolute ManageIT asset and device management2009

  A computer-systems management product derived from the LANrev suite acquired in 2009. Absolute marketed the acquired technology first as Absolute Asset Management and later as Absolute Manage. The product was sold to HEAT Software in 2015 and is not part of the current Absolute Security portfolio.

• Absolute ServiceIT service management2013

  An IT service-management and helpdesk product based on assets acquired from LiveTime Software in 2012 and relaunched in 2013. It formed part of Absolute’s expanded enterprise-management suite before being sold to HEAT Software in 2015.

• Absolute Safe SchoolsEducation device-protection initiative2013

  A school-focused initiative launched in 2013 to promote safer use of mobile devices among students and staff and to provide assistance when participating schools experienced device loss or theft.

• 2013Absolute Safe Schools

  Canada · Education sector

  Absolute launched an education-oriented device-protection initiative that combined guidance on safe mobile-device use with support for schools dealing with lost or stolen devices.

  Outcome. The initiative became part of the company’s education-sector positioning; the available source does not establish its later scale or final disposition.

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• 2024Corporate name changed to Absolute SecurityStrategy

  The company sought to represent its broader cybersecurity and cyber-resilience activities more directly through its corporate and market identity.

  What changed. Absolute Software adopted the name Absolute Security.

  Aftermath. The business continued to market Secure Endpoint, Secure Access, and related cyber-resilience capabilities under the Absolute Security name.

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• 2024Syxsense acquisitionM&A

  Endpoint security increasingly overlaps with vulnerability management, device hygiene, and automated remediation.

  What changed. Absolute Security announced the acquisition of Syxsense, an endpoint and vulnerability-management provider.

  Aftermath. The acquisition was intended to broaden Absolute’s endpoint and vulnerability-management capabilities; the available source does not provide detailed integration results.

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• 2023Agreement to be acquired by Crosspoint Capital PartnersM&A

  Absolute remained a publicly traded cybersecurity company before agreeing to a take-private transaction.

  What changed. Absolute announced an acquisition by Crosspoint Capital Partners valued at approximately $657 million. The transaction closed in July 2023.

  Aftermath. Absolute was delisted from the TSX and Nasdaq and continued as a privately owned company.

  Announced acquisition value. $657 million (May 2023 announcement)

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• 2015Refocus on data and device securityStrategy

  Absolute reassessed its enterprise-management portfolio as cybersecurity, endpoint protection, and data-loss concerns became more central to its market strategy.

  What changed. The company renamed Computrace as Data and Device Security and sold Absolute Manage and Absolute Service to HEAT Software.

  Aftermath. The business concentrated more heavily on endpoint security, device resilience, and data protection.

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• 2024Absolute Software changes its name to Absolute Security

  The company adopted the Absolute Security name to reflect its broader focus on cybersecurity and cyber resilience.

  Other
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• 2024Absolute Security announces acquisition of Syxsense

  Absolute Security announced the acquisition of Syxsense, a provider of endpoint and vulnerability-management technology based in Costa Mesa, California.

  M&A
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• 2023Absolute Software agrees to acquisition by Crosspoint Capital Partners

  Absolute Software announced an agreement to be acquired by Crosspoint Capital Partners for approximately $657 million.

  M&A
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• 2023Crosspoint Capital Partners completes acquisition of Absolute Software

  The acquisition closed in July 2023, and Absolute ceased trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange and Nasdaq.

  M&A
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1. Absolute Security
2. Absolute Security official website