Remote.It, Inc., based in Campbell, California, is a pioneer in the field of Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA). The company specializes in providing secure, private connectivity for the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud infrastructure. Its mission is to make networking invisible and inherently secure by moving away from traditional, perimeter-based security models toward a dynamic, identity-based architecture. Remote.It stands out in the market for its patented 'portforwardless' technology, which has allowed it to secure endpoints in over 194 countries. The company serves a diverse range of clients, from individual developers using Raspberry Pis to large industrial manufacturers integrating remote access into robots and automation systems. As digital transformation accelerates and network perimeters dissolve, Remote.It positions itself as a foundational layer for secure global connectivity.
remote.it was born out of the personal frustrations of its founders, Ryo Koyama and Mike Johnson. Both are veterans of the networking industry, having previously founded and led startups that were acquired by giants like NVIDIA. Koyama, the CEO, has a background in product management for graphics cards and fluid dynamics, while Johnson is a chief architect with deep expertise in silicon implementations of the TCP/IP stack. The 'networked camera' story is central to their founding: while trying to install home security cameras, they realized that existing methods required opening ports to the public internet, exposing their homes to hackers. They leveraged their deep knowledge of networking protocols to build a solution that established outbound connections, effectively hiding the device from the internet. The company was originally founded as Weaved, Inc. in 2014 before rebranding to Remot3.it and finally remote.it to better reflect its broad applicability in the remote work and networking sectors.
remote.it has been strategically funded through multiple seed rounds, raising a total of approximately $2.55 million to date. Early investors include Core Ventures Group, which participated in their primary Seed round in late 2014, and TMT Investments. Other notable institutional investors include Bonds Investment Group and a group of angel investors with backgrounds in Silicon Valley technology leadership. The funding has primarily been used to transition the technology from a specialized IoT service into a broad-based ZTNA platform that supports desktop, cloud, and mobile environments. While the company has raised less capital than some of its HR-focused competitors like Remote.com (a common source of brand confusion), its lean operation and patented technology have allowed it to achieve significant global reach and maintain a strong technical moat in the networking infrastructure space.
The remote.it ecosystem is composed of several modular offerings that cater to different technical requirements. The core of the platform is the 'remoteit Service Agent,' a lightweight software component that can be installed on virtually any Linux, Windows, macOS, or mobile device. For developers, the company offers a robust CLI (Command Line Interface) and official Docker images for containerized deployments. The 'Web Portal' and 'Desktop App' provide a user-friendly GUI for non-technical users to manage connections and view event logs. For industrial and commercial clients, remote.it offers 'Connectivity-as-Code' solutions that can be bundled directly into OEM products at the production line, allowing for remote firmware updates and support without customer-site VPNs. Advanced 'Dedicated Proxy Server' options are available for organizations with strict firewall rules that block all outbound UDP traffic, ensuring high availability in even the most restrictive corporate environments.
remote.it has achieved an impressive global footprint, with protected endpoints active in over 194 countries. The company has focused on expanding its compatibility across a wide range of hardware and network architectures, rather than just geographical offices. A key part of its expansion strategy has been solving connectivity for 'hard-to-reach' devices on cellular 4G/5G, satellite (Starlink), and CGNAT networks, where traditional solutions fail. This has made remote.it a global standard for international IoT deployments. While headquartered in the United States, the company leverages a global reseller network and partnerships with hardware manufacturers to reach markets in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Its technology is increasingly used by multinational corporations to manage distributed cloud resources across different AWS and Azure regions, facilitating a truly borderless IT management experience.
In the last 12-18 months, remote.it has introduced several major features aimed at the enterprise and cloud markets. A significant update includes 'Zero-Trust Cloud Access' for AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, which allows DevOps teams to access private VPC instances without managing complex VPN gateways or bastion hosts. The platform also launched 'Organization Management,' which introduced custom roles and hierarchical team structures to improve security for larger organizations. Recent enhancements to the 'Scripting' engine allow for more complex multi-device automation, enabling IT managers to run diagnostics or updates across thousands of devices with a single command. Additionally, the introduction of 'Persistent Public URLs' has simplified how web-based resources are accessed, and the roll-out of full SSO (Single Sign-On) support with SAML and Google has integrated the platform more tightly with enterprise identity management systems.
The culture at remote.it is deeply rooted in engineering excellence and the philosophy of 'making technology invisible.' Founder Ryo Koyama often cites the concept of 'ubiquitous computing,' where technology is so well-integrated that users don't even realize it's there. This translated into a work environment that prioritizes innovation, technical problem-solving, and a 'developer-first' mindset. The company values autonomy and agility, reflecting its roots in the Silicon Valley startup ecosystem. As a company that enables remote work for others, remote.it embraces a flexible work culture, allowing its team to leverage its own tools to maintain a high-performing distributed workforce. Diversity and a global perspective are essential, as the team must understand the unique networking challenges faced by users in different countries, from bandwidth-limited environments in developing regions to high-security enterprise networks in financial hubs.
remote.it has built a vibrant community of developers, system administrators, and IoT enthusiasts. The company maintains an active 'Community Forum' where users share custom scripts, integration tips, and troubleshooting advice. Their technical documentation is hosted on GitBook, providing a modern, searchable, and collaborative knowledge base that is frequently updated. remote.it also engages with its user base through a dedicated YouTube channel featuring tutorials, founder interviews, and technical deep-dives. For professional users, the company offers a 'Reseller Program' and 'Partner Ecosystem,' fostering a network of experts who implement remote.it solutions in various industries. By providing a generous free tier for personal use, the company has ensured a steady influx of hobbyist projects—from Raspberry Pi home servers to complex home automation systems—which serve as a testing ground for new features and community-driven innovation.
