Andreessen invests USD90 mil in cybersecurity firm Tanium

Venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitz is placing its second-biggest bet ever on an unheralded tool for corporate-technology departments.

The firm, known for backing Facebook Inc. FB +0.25% and Pinterest Inc., among others, is investing $90 million in Tanium Inc., which helps companies pinpoint security threats and manage their sprawling computer networks. Andreessen Horowitz's investment values seven-year-old Tanium at $900 million, according to people familiar with the transaction.

Orion Hindawi, who founded Tanium with his father, said the company's technology offers a near-instant snapshot of potentially malicious software in corporate-computing networks, then lets employees wipe out the unwanted software remotely. Mr. Hindawi said many anti-hacker tools, by contrast, give companies information that is hours or days old, and can be ineffective if companies don't know where to erect security barriers.