Cloudflare announced today the launch of a free tier of its Zero Trust security platform specifically designed for small businesses with up to 50 employees. The offering includes secure web gateway, DNS filtering, device posture checking, and identity-based access controls that were previously available only in the company's paid enterprise plans.
The move addresses a critical gap in cybersecurity defenses for small and medium-sized businesses, which are increasingly targeted by ransomware and phishing attacks but often lack the budget for enterprise-grade security tools. According to Verizon's latest Data Breach Investigations Report, 43% of cyberattacks target small businesses, yet only 14% have adequate security measures in place.
Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince said the free tier is part of the company's mission to help build a better internet and that protecting small businesses strengthens the overall security ecosystem. The platform integrates with popular identity providers including Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and Okta, and can be deployed in under an hour without specialized IT expertise. Competing vendors CrowdStrike and Zscaler have not yet announced similar free offerings for the small business segment.
