The Tenzir story
From academic exploration to empowering security teams
Tenzir’s story begins in the halls of academia, fueled by a deep curiosity about data and a vision for reshaping security operations. In 2006, our founder, Matthias Vallentin, embarked on this journey during his Master’s studies at the Technical University of Munich. While exploring the challenges of network visibility, he was captivated by an ambitious idea: a system that could provide Visibility Across Space and Time (VAST).
His academic quest led him to UC Berkeley, where he dedicated his PhD years (2008–2016) to refining VAST into a powerful open-source platform. It became more than just research—it was a commitment to building tools that empower security teams to unlock hidden insights in their data and make informed decisions faster.
Matthias at the University of California at Berkeley (2017)
The birth of Tenzir: A unified vision for security data operations
For years, VAST the project and Tenzir the company existed side by side. But as we grew, so did the challenge of managing two identities. We wanted to create a unified community, bridging the gap between open-source contributors and enterprise users under one strong, recognizable name.
Another reason for the change was the growing ubiquity of the acronym VAST in adjacent industries. To eliminate confusion and ensure clarity, we made the strategic decision to retire the name while honoring its legacy as the foundation of our journey.
This shift was more than just a rebrand—it reflected a fundamental product evolution. What started as an analytics tool naturally expanded into security data automation and integration, filling a critical gap upstream from SIEMs and data lakes. By repositioning our focus, Tenzir complements existing solutions rather than competing with them, enabling security teams to reduce costs, maximize efficiency, and take full control of their data strategy.
Tenzir in Hamburg, Germany (2022)
Power in community: Our open source commitment
At Tenzir, transparency and collaboration are core to our DNA, which is why we heavily invest in open-source software. Our flagship open-source project is a testament to this commitment. Our open-core model ensures that the core platform remains freely available under a permissive license, while commercial features provide additional functionality for advanced use cases.
We believe that open source fosters a thriving, collaborative environment where:
Users gain unmatched control and flexibility: Tenzir’s open-source foundation and plugin framework allow deep customization of core components. Developers can build on a standardized interface while keeping their plugins private—a unique advantage of permissively licensed open-core platforms.
Interoperability eliminates vendor lock-in: We go beyond open source by actively promoting open standards. Our data plane is standardized on Apache Arrow, enabling high-bandwidth data exchange with next-generation analytics tools. Only open standards allow for composable systems and true interoperability.
Community-driven innovation accelerates progress: Security practitioners rely on open-source software daily, forming a strong and engaged community. Collaborative defense is essential in the asymmetric fight against cyber threats. That’s why we built a platform with community-driven content, where contributors can share and expand our open-source library of integrations and use cases.
By embracing open source, Tenzir isn’t just building a product—we’re building a movement. A movement where security professionals learn from each other, share best practices, and collectively strengthen cybersecurity. We take pride in sharing our code, ensuring high standards of quality that benefit both the open-source community and our commercial customers.