Kiteworks, a provider of secure data exchange and private data risk management solutions, has acquired WAMNET Japan K.K., a Japanese provider of secure data transfer and enterprise file sharing solutions. The transaction adds more than 500 enterprise customers and over 25 years of experience in the Japanese market to the Kiteworks ecosystem, giving the company its first major direct presence in one of the world’s most security-conscious enterprise markets.
The acquisition expands Kiteworks’ unified control plane for secure data exchange into Japan, bringing capabilities including the Data Policy Engine, hardened virtual appliance architecture, AI agent governance, and a unified compliance framework to Japanese organizations. WAMNET Japan’s current products will continue to receive full support, while existing contracts, pricing, and dedicated customer support will remain unchanged. Customer data will also continue to be hosted in Japan.
As the integration progresses, WAMNET Japan customers will have access to a fully supported upgrade path to the Kiteworks platform. The transition is designed to preserve data sovereignty while providing customers with expanded functionality, security, and control.
“Japan has some of the most rigorous standards for corporate trust, data security, and quality in the world – and WAMNET Japan earned the confidence of government agencies and enterprise customers in that environment,” said Amit Toren, Chief Business Officer, Kiteworks. “This acquisition is not just a market entry. It is a commitment to bring the full power of the Kiteworks unified control plane, including our newly released Compliant AI and Secure MCP Server, providing a single data security and compliance framework across every workflow and communication channel, to Japanese enterprises and government organizations. WAMNET Japan customers already benefit from products that are ISMS (ISO 27001), ISMS Cloud Security, and Privacy Mark certified. With the Kiteworks platform they will additionally gain access to a platform that is FedRAMP Moderate Authorized, FedRAMP High In Process, SOC 2 Type II, and ISO 27001/27002/27018 certified. Kiteworks is also committed to obtaining Japan’s government cloud security certification (ISMAP) in 2027.”
Strategic Value of the Acquisition
• Centralized policy enforcement with the Data Policy Engine. Following an upgrade to the Kiteworks platform, WAMNET Japan customers will gain access to the Kiteworks Data Policy Engine (DPE), which applies RBAC and ABAC policies in real time across agentic workflows and secure data exchange channels. Compliance teams can define policies based on data classification, user role, action type, or context and apply them consistently across environments through a consolidated enforcement mechanism and audit trail.
• Data sovereignty and local compliance. WAMNET Japan’s existing products hold ISMS (ISO 27001), ISMS Cloud Security, and Privacy Mark certifications. Kiteworks will build on this compliance foundation with FedRAMP Moderate Authorization, FedRAMP High In Process, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001/27002/27018, FIPS 140-3, IRAP, BSI, and Cyber Essentials Plus validations. The Kiteworks platform supports deployment across on-premises, private cloud, and public cloud environments. Customer data will continue to be hosted in Japan. Kiteworks also plans to register for the Information System Security Management and Assessment Program (ISMAP), Japan’s government cloud security certification and primary procurement gateway.
• AI agent governance at the data layer. With Japanese enterprises increasingly deploying AI agents and automation, WAMNET Japan customers will gain access to Kiteworks Compliant AI and Secure MCP Server. These capabilities are designed to authenticate agent interactions, enforce ABAC policies, apply FIPS 140-3 encryption, and record activity in a tamper-evident audit trail before data is transferred. This gives organizations control over which AI systems can access specific content and under what conditions.
• Expanded secure communication and data exchange capabilities. WAMNET’s more than 500 enterprise customers across multiple industries will have access to the broader range of secure communication channels and workflows available through the Kiteworks platform. These include the Email Protection Gateway, Secure Collaboration and File Transfer, Managed File Transfer, SFTP, Secure Data Forms, as well as comprehensive APIs and MCP connectors.
• Hardened security architecture. WAMNET Japan customers will also be able to benefit from Kiteworks’ hardened virtual appliance architecture, which incorporates double encryption, an embedded network firewall, WAF, IDS, and an assume-breach design intended to reduce vulnerability exploitability. The architecture adds government-grade security capabilities to the compliance foundation already established for WAMNET customers.
Service Continuity and Upgrade Path
WAMNET Japan will continue selling and supporting its existing products, including the GigaCC suite and DIRECT! EXTREME. Existing contracts, pricing structures, and dedicated support arrangements will remain in place, while customer data will continue to be hosted in Japan in accordance with current data sovereignty requirements.
Over time, WAMNET Japan customers will have access to a fully supported migration path to the Kiteworks platform. The platform will provide access to the Data Policy Engine, hardened security architecture, and AI governance capabilities while supporting deployment on-premises, in private cloud, or in public cloud environments.
Kiteworks is also allocating development resources to localize its control plane for secure data exchange for the Japanese market, supporting the company’s broader expansion into Japan’s enterprise and government sectors.
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About Kiteworks
Kiteworks’ mission is to empower organizations to effectively manage risk in every send, share, receive, and use of private data. The Kiteworks platform provides customers with a secure data exchange that delivers data governance, compliance, and protection in a unified control plane. Kiteworks unifies, tracks, controls, and secures sensitive data moving within, into, and out of their organization, significantly improving risk management and ensuring regulatory compliance on all private data exchanges. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Kiteworks protects over 100 million end-users and thousands of global enterprises and government agencies.
Media Contact
David Schutzman
PR Manager
david.schutzman@kiteworks.com
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