Cylance

AI-first endpoint security pioneer, now a flagship product line within BlackBerry's cybersecurity portfolio competing against CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, and Microsoft Defender

Cylance was founded in 2012 by Stuart McClure and Ryan Permeh with a mission to revolutionize cybersecurity through artificial intelligence and machine learning. Unlike traditional antivirus solutions that relied on signature-based detection, Cylance developed a predictive AI model capable of identifying and preventing malware and threats before they could execute — a fundamentally different approach that disrupted the endpoint security market. The company gained rapid traction among enterprise customers seeking more proactive threat prevention, growing to serve thousands of organizations across government, healthcare, finance, and critical infrastructure sectors. Cylance raised over $177 million in venture funding before being acquired by BlackBerry in February 2019 for approximately $1.4 billion — one of the largest cybersecurity acquisitions of that era. Following the acquisition, Cylance's technology was integrated into BlackBerry's broader security portfolio and continues to operate today as a distinct product line under the BlackBerry Cylance brand. Its flagship product, CylancePROTECT, remains an active endpoint security offering, and the Cylance AI engine powers multiple BlackBerry security products including CylanceOPTICS (EDR), CylanceGUARD (managed detection and response), and CylancePERSONA (user behavior analytics). The Cylance brand has been instrumental in repositioning BlackBerry as a serious enterprise cybersecurity vendor.