Who owns Absolute Software now?

Absolute Software (renamed Absolute Security) was taken private by Crosspoint Capital Partners for an enterprise value of about US$870 million; the deal closed on July 27, 2023, delisting it from NASDAQ and TSX.

Is Absolute Security profitable?

Unknown; as a private, PE-owned company since July 2023, Absolute Security no longer discloses audited financials. Its last public revenue figure was roughly US$197.3 to 210 million for FY2022, before the Crosspoint acquisition.

Could AI replace Absolute Security?

Unlikely soon. Absolute's core moat is firmware-embedded Persistence technology baked into 600+ million devices via 28+ OEM partnerships and covered by 227 patents (as of Aug 2025), which AI software cannot replicate without years of hardware negotiation.

Is Absolute Software doing layoffs?

It cut about 40 employees (5% of headcount) in an April 2023 restructuring, before the Crosspoint acquisition. Since then headcount has held roughly steady, estimated at 1,642 employees as of December 2025 per Revelio Labs.

Who is Absolute Security's biggest competitor?

Tanium is the most frequently cross-compared rival in endpoint management and resilience, while CrowdStrike, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, and SentinelOne compete in the broader EDR/XDR space, though none replicate Absolute's firmware-level persistence as of 2026.

Did Absolute Software change its name?

Yes. After Crosspoint Capital Partners completed its acquisition on July 27, 2023, the company rebranded from Absolute Software to Absolute Security in April 2024.

Cybersecurity companies · subsidiary of Crosspoint Capital Partners · Canada

Absolute Software

absolute.com ↗

Firmware-embedded endpoint security that survives OS wipes on 600M+ devices.

Hard to displace

Assessed 21 July 2026 · Evidence as of 21 July 2026

Strong structural protection; the business model survives ai pressure.

On the recordSince 21 July 2026 · Checkable from Q3 2026 · Every call on the record Checkpoint: Six month window to see if Agentic AI features drive real renewals or fizzle as marketing

The call

Absolute's firmware foothold keeps software rivals out, but its fate now rests on Crosspoint's balance sheet and whether Microsoft ever decides to build its own version.

Absolute Software puts security tools deep inside the firmware of computers and devices, working with companies like Dell and HP to embed its code during manufacturing. This is tough for rivals to copy because getting into device firmware requires years of negotiation with hardware makers, whereas pure software competitors can update their products instantly. The real threat is Microsoft, which has the clout to push its own built-in security features through the same OEM partners and bypass the slow negotiation process entirely. If Microsoft ships a competing firmware security layer into Windows and convinces manufacturers to adopt it, Absolute's advantage shrinks quickly.

Why

AI pressure: None apparent. AI adds features like Agentic AI remediation on top of Absolute's firmware layer, it does not replace the BIOS slot itself. Could AI do the core job? Unlikely.

Bigger players: Microsoft. Only Microsoft has the OEM leverage to push a native firmware-level resilience feature into Windows and bypass Absolute's BIOS deals. Could a giant copy it? No, they are blocked.

What protects it. Firmware slots baked into 600M+ devices across 28+ OEMs, backed by 227 patents and FedRAMP/GovRAMP authorization.

What would change this call

Microsoft announces a native Windows firmware-persistence or endpoint-resilience feature pushed through OEMs. Would show Microsoft closing the hardware-anchored gap that protects Absolute's moat.
Lenovo, HP, or Dell reduce or drop BIOS-level slots reserved for Absolute Persistence. Would show OEM distribution moat weakening.
Crosspoint Capital pursues a sale, IPO, or dividend recap of Absolute Security. Would show ownership change or debt load affecting R&D and stability.

Key numbers

600M+ devices carry Absolute's firmware Persistence (Aug 2025)
227 patents protect the firmware layer (Aug 2025)
Crosspoint paid ~US$870M enterprise value to take it private (May 2023)

Named risks

Microsoft could ship native OEM-backed firmware resilience feature, compressing Absolute's moat. Severity: high
Crosspoint's PE ownership could load debt via dividend recap, starving R&D investment. Severity: medium
Customer count language shifted from ~21,000 pre-acquisition to vague 'thousands' by 2025, possible attrition signal. Severity: medium
Post-acquisition revenue remains undisclosed; only unverifiable aggregator estimates exist. Severity: medium
Agentic AI features launched March 2026 lack independent customer-validated efficacy data. Severity: low

Rivals, as read in July 2026

Rival	Direction	Evidence
Microsoft	gaining on	Only player with OEM leverage to potentially ship native firmware-persistence feature, watched as top threat as of 2026-03
Tanium	contesting	Most frequently cross-compared rival in endpoint management and resilience as of 2026
CrowdStrike	contesting	Competes in broader EDR/XDR tier but does not replicate firmware-level persistence as of 2026
Syxsense	gaining on	Absorbed via acquisition by Absolute in September 2024, expanding vulnerability management reach

Questions people ask

Who owns Absolute Software now?: Absolute Software (renamed Absolute Security) was taken private by Crosspoint Capital Partners for an enterprise value of about US$870 million; the deal closed on July 27, 2023, delisting it from NASDAQ and TSX.
Is Absolute Security profitable?: Unknown; as a private, PE-owned company since July 2023, Absolute Security no longer discloses audited financials. Its last public revenue figure was roughly US$197.3 to 210 million for FY2022, before the Crosspoint acquisition.
Could AI replace Absolute Security?: Unlikely soon. Absolute's core moat is firmware-embedded Persistence technology baked into 600+ million devices via 28+ OEM partnerships and covered by 227 patents (as of Aug 2025), which AI software cannot replicate without years of hardware negotiation.
Is Absolute Software doing layoffs?: It cut about 40 employees (5% of headcount) in an April 2023 restructuring, before the Crosspoint acquisition. Since then headcount has held roughly steady, estimated at 1,642 employees as of December 2025 per Revelio Labs.
Who is Absolute Security's biggest competitor?: Tanium is the most frequently cross-compared rival in endpoint management and resilience, while CrowdStrike, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, and SentinelOne compete in the broader EDR/XDR space, though none replicate Absolute's firmware-level persistence as of 2026.
Did Absolute Software change its name?: Yes. After Crosspoint Capital Partners completed its acquisition on July 27, 2023, the company rebranded from Absolute Software to Absolute Security in April 2024.

Timeline

2026-03-23Unveiled Agentic AI for automated root-cause analysis and remediation at RSAC 2026
2026-03-09Released Secure Endpoint 11 with expanded AI Assistant and public API coverage
2025-08-05Launched GenAI for Endpoint Risk Response
2025-07-15Released Secure Endpoint 10 with Absolute AI Assistant and custom dashboards
2024-09-15Acquired endpoint/vulnerability-management vendor Syxsense
2024-04-17Rebranded from Absolute Software to Absolute Security
2023-07-27Crosspoint Capital acquisition closed; delisted from NASDAQ and TSX
2023-05-23Crosspoint Capital agreed to acquire Absolute for ~US$870M enterprise value
2023-04-05Announced workforce restructuring cutting ~40 employees (5%)

Revision history

21 July 2026

First assessed. Hard to displace. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.

In the same band

Palo Alto Networks AhnLab Moxa