Advancing Email Security in an Era of Evolving Threats: Kiteworks Acquires Zivver

Email continues to be a primary communication channel for businesses and a significant vector for cyber threats. Organizations are contending with increasingly sophisticated attacks while managing complex compliance landscapes across various jurisdictions. According to the 2025 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, phishing was the initial attack vector in 16% of breaches, and the human element—including actions like credential abuse, social engineering, and errors—was involved in 60% of breaches.

This reality demands security solutions that protect sensitive information while maintaining seamless communication. Kiteworks has responded to this challenge by acquiring Zivver, the Netherlands-based leader in email data protection. This strategic move combines Kiteworks’ comprehensive security portfolio with Zivver’s advanced email protection capabilities, creating a powerful defense against modern threats.

Cybersecurity’s Shifting Focus: From Perimeter to Information

Traditional email security focused primarily on blocking known threats and filtering spam. While these measures remain necessary, they fail to address the most significant vulnerability in email communications: human error.

Security breaches occur not only through malicious attacks but also through everyday mistakes—sending sensitive information to incorrect recipients, failing to encrypt confidential data, or inadvertently sharing protected information. These errors expose organizations to substantial financial, reputational, and regulatory risks.

Modern email security requires intelligent protection that understands what information is being shared and with whom. This approach must balance robust security with usability to avoid creating friction that hampers productivity.

Remote work adoption has accelerated this security challenge. With employees accessing corporate systems from varied locations and devices, traditional network perimeters have dissolved. Security must now follow the data itself rather than focusing solely on network boundaries.

Regulatory Demands Create New Imperatives

Organizations worldwide face a growing matrix of data protection requirements. The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) set a global standard that many jurisdictions have followed with similar frameworks, such as Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act, and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The Netherlands stands out as a global leader in adopting comprehensive legislation for data leak prevention and reporting. Organizations operating across borders face particular challenges in maintaining compliance while ensuring seamless communication.

Penalties for noncompliance have increased dramatically, with GDPR violations resulting in fines up to 4% of the noncompliant global annual revenue. Beyond financial penalties, data breaches damage customer trust and brand reputation—often with lasting consequences.

Effective email security now represents both a compliance requirement and a competitive advantage. Organizations that maintain communication channels secured while minimizing friction gain an edge in building customer trust and operational efficiency.

AI-Powered Detection: Context Matters

Contextual understanding represents the frontier in email security. Machine-learning algorithms can now analyze communication patterns, identify sensitive information, and assess risk based on recipient relationships and previous exchanges.

This approach further enables Kiteworks capabilities for “right-sized security” that applies appropriate protection measures based on data sensitivity. Rather than forcing users through fixed security protocols for all communications, advanced measures activate only when necessary.

The system intelligently monitors communications to detect potential risks. When sensitive information appears addressed to unauthorized recipients, it immediately flags the potential error. For emails containing confidential data, the system recommends appropriate encryption levels. Security controls adjust automatically based on regulatory requirements that apply to specific types of information. The technology can detect and prevent accidental sharing of proprietary information while identifying potential insider threats by recognizing unusual communication patterns or behaviors that deviate from established norms.

E-Signature for Digital Document Signing

Zivver’s e-signature capabilities provide a secure, compliant solution for digital document signing. The platform integrates with Zivver’s encrypted email system, allowing users to send documents for signature, track progress in real time, and store completed documents with verification. Compliant with eIDAS and ESIGN regulations, the user-friendly system offers customizable workflows and mobile-friendly signing options that don’t require recipient accounts—balancing security with convenience for industries handling sensitive information.

Complementary Strengths Create Comprehensive Protection

Kiteworks’ acquisition of Zivver combines two organizations with complementary strengths. Kiteworks brings its comprehensive security portfolio across all communication channels, global support infrastructure, and deployment flexibility. Zivver contributes advanced email protection technology, including AI-driven content analysis and user-friendly security design.

For existing Kiteworks customers, this acquisition adds sophisticated email protection to their security architecture. For Zivver customers, the acquisition brings several significant benefits:

• Deployment options including on-premises, private cloud, and public cloud
• Access to expanded communication capabilities including file sharing and collaboration, email protection gateway, AI security, SFTP, MFT, and web forms
• Enterprise-grade 24/7 global support
• Next-gen DRM powered by SafeEDIT possessionless editing for highly sensitive files
• Long-term stability and continued innovation backed by Kiteworks’ resources

Practical Implementation Without Disruption

The acquisition prioritizes continuity for existing customers. Zivver will continue operating with no disruption to current services, and maintain its hallmark usability.

Kiteworks and Zivver engineers have begun collaborating to ensure smooth interoperability between platforms, focusing the integration on expanding capabilities for the benefit of both Zivver and Kiteworks customers. Kiteworks has committed to preserving Zivver’s Netherlands-based email security and data protection experts. This team will continue leading product development, contributing the integrated Kiteworks Private Data Network platform.

Security Leader Perspectives

For IT leaders, the combined solution will reduce complexity by consolidating security across communication channels. Rather than managing separate tools for email security, file sharing, and document signing, organizations can implement consistent policies through a unified approach.

Cybersecurity leaders gain advanced threat detection through AI-powered content analysis, with detailed visibility into potential vulnerabilities and automated enforcement of security policies. This approach reduces alert fatigue by focusing attention on genuine risks.

Compliance officers benefit from comprehensive controls that adapt to regulatory requirements across jurisdictions. Automated enforcement and detailed audit logs simplify compliance documentation, while zero-knowledge architecture provides concrete evidence of data sovereignty.

Risk management professionals gain tools to quantify and reduce communication-related risks. The solution’s ability to prevent human errors addresses the largest source of data breaches, significantly reducing organizational risk exposure.

Kiteworks and Zivver

Email security has evolved from spam filtering to sophisticated content protection. The combination of Kiteworks and Zivver creates a powerful solution addressing modern challenges through AI-driven analysis, zero-knowledge architecture, and user-friendly design.

For organizations navigating complex security and compliance requirements, this approach offers protection that follows sensitive data through communication channels while maintaining productive workflows. The acquisition represents a significant advancement in secure communication technology.

Check out the press release for more detail on the acquisition at https://www.kiteworks.com/company/press-releases/kiteworks-acquires-zivver-expanding-private-data-network-with-zero-knowledge-encryption.

Additional Resources

• Blog Post Zero Trust Architecture: Never Trust, Always Verify
• Video How Kiteworks Helps Advance the NSA’s Zero Trust at the Data Layer Model
• Blog Post What It Means to Extend Zero Trust to the Content Layer
• Blog Post Building Trust in Generative AI with a Zero Trust Approach
• Video Kiteworks + Forcepoint: Demonstrating Compliance and Zero Trust at the Content Layer