1Password acquires Trelica, a trailblazer in SaaS access management

1Password acquires Trelica, a trailblazer in SaaS access management

Jeff Shiner by Jeff Shiner on

From the earliest days of 1Password, our bedrock value has been building a security tool that works for our users – not against them – enabling people to behave securely without needless friction or frustration. For our business customers, this means making the productive way to work the secure way to work.

And since 1Password’s beginnings, the realities of work have changed dramatically, largely in ways that empower employees. Today, employees work from anywhere, on a wide range of devices, and on an even wider range of SaaS apps.

Gone are the days when all software came through a company’s IT department. Today, apps of all kinds abound, and employees can easily sign themselves or their teams up in just a few minutes.

This transformation has been a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the SaaS explosion has unleashed a wave of productivity and creativity, as employees experiment with the tools that work for them.

However, the rise of SaaS sprawl and shadow IT has also unleashed serious security risks. Employees input sensitive data into these unmanaged apps, often unknowingly violating security policy and compliance standards. Employees can retain access to applications and the data therein after they leave the company – another governance risk. IT and security teams have no visibility into or control over shadow IT apps, so these issues can silently lurk for years, draining budget and exposing the company to the risk of data breach or attack.

SaaS sprawl and shadow IT are major contributors to the Access-Trust Gap: the security risks posed by unmanaged devices and applications accessing company data without proper governance controls.

We want to close the Access-Trust Gap with our category-defining solution, 1Password Extended Access Management, which secures every sign-in to every app on every device. Our platform meets a critical need in organizational security – addressing the unmanaged, untrusted, and unseen access happening outside IT and security’s control.

Today, I’m proud to announce that we’ve taken a major step forward in accelerating our vision by acquiring Trelica, a pioneer in modern SaaS access management.

SaaS access management that prioritizes security and productivity

Founded in 2018 by Iain McGhee, Richard Kirby, and Robert Stiff, Trelica is a platform for discovering true application usage and managing access to both managed and unmanaged applications. With over 300 direct integrations with leading SaaS vendors, its core features include Shadow IT discovery, spend optimization, contract renewals, and access management workflows for automating onboarding, offboarding, provisioning, and privilege escalation tasks.

Trelica addresses critical challenges that haven’t been solved by traditional solutions like Single Sign-On (SSO), Mobile Device Management (MDM), and SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM). These include provisioning and de-provisioning users, reclaiming unused licenses, monitoring permission drift, and adjusting access during role changes. Trelica prioritizes IT administrators’ most time-consuming tasks while maintaining a secure environment.

Of course, in acquiring Trelica, 1Password isn’t just getting trailblazing technology; we’re also excited to welcome the people who built this company. Trelica’s founders share our fundamental commitments to prioritizing usability alongside security, practicing transparency with customers and end-users, and creating products that are simultaneously intuitive and technically sophisticated. They also happen to be awesome people who I can’t wait to work with, along with the entire Trelica team.

Finally, Trelica brings with it an impressive list of satisfied customers who attest to the many ways it delivers value to their teams. One such customer is Elastic, which takes advantage of Trelica’s automated processes for onboarding and offboarding, thus eliminating time on manual work that can be better spent on strategic initiatives.

“We’re saving hours each month with Trelica’s automated workflows, which means we can focus on what really matters: Giving our people the tools they need to maximize their productivity while ensuring our license footprint is constantly and automatically right-sized.” – Rusty Searle, Senior Director, Business Engagement, Elastic

Accelerating the delivery of new 1Password Extended Access Management capabilities

Trelica’s technology platform and team will help us advance the 1Password Extended Access Management vision, extending our first-to-market advantage in this new security software category.

A year ago, we shared our vision for 1Password Extended Access Management: a comprehensive security platform that ensures that employees’ devices, identities, and apps are trusted before access is granted – all without increasing complexity or IT overhead. This announcement was met with tremendous customer demand.

In response, we have accelerated our product roadmap, and the acquisition of Trelica unlocks critical new capabilities frequently requested by our customers.

With the addition of Trelica, 1Password Extended Access Management gives security teams a repeatable path to reduce credential risk and achieve their passwordless objectives. Combined with 1Password, Trelica’s technology makes it possible for companies to take Shadow IT apps from unknown and unmanaged to fully managed and secured while empowering employees to adopt the applications and tools that make them most productive.

“The 1Password vision for Extended Access Management is precisely how we felt the industry needs to evolve. We’ve truly found the right home for Trelica.” – Iain McGhee, Co-founder, Trelica

Extended Access Management represents a bold reimagining of what cybersecurity can achieve. This is more than a technological shift; it’s a cultural one. It’s about ensuring that every employee, every device, and every application is part of a secure ecosystem. It’s about creating tools that employees love to use because they make their work lives easier, not harder. And it’s about building a future where security and productivity are not at odds but are essential partners. With the addition of Trelica, we are excited to accelerate this vision - helping organizations navigate the complexities of modern work with tools that empower employees to be productive, strengthen security, and foster trust in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Please join me in welcoming the entire Trelica team to 1Password. We’re thrilled they’re joining us on our shared mission of building a safer, simpler digital future for everyone.

CEO

Jeff Shiner - CEO Jeff Shiner - CEO

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