OneLayer Forges Alliance to Secure Private 5G's Unseen Frontier

BOSTON, MA – April 23, 2026 – As enterprises race to deploy private cellular networks, cybersecurity firm OneLayer today launched its Sentry Partner Program, a strategic initiative aimed at fortifying this new digital frontier. The program certifies a cohort of specialized private wireless and security integrators to deliver Zero Trust security, automated device management, and managed services, addressing a critical vulnerability gap that traditional IT security was not designed to handle.

The move comes as the private LTE and 5G market experiences explosive growth, with some analyst projections estimating the market will surge from single-digit billions today to over $50 billion by 2030. This expansion is driven by the demands of Industry 4.0, industrial automation, and the need for ultra-reliable, low-latency connectivity for everything from autonomous robots in factories to critical communications in utility grids.

The New Security Frontier: A Cellular Blind Spot

While private networks offer superior control and performance over public alternatives, they also introduce a complex and often misunderstood security landscape. The core challenge lies in the fundamental difference between cellular and traditional IP-based networks. Corporate security teams have spent decades honing tools and practices to protect laptops, servers, and IP-based devices, but these methods often fall short when faced with the unique architecture of a private 5G or LTE network.

"Private cellular and carrier APN deployments are increasingly central to how our enterprise customers operate, yet visibility and security across those environments has remained a persistent gap," said Christopher Mahar, CEO of CID Group, one of the program's partners.

This gap exists because cellular networks operate on a different set of protocols and identifiers. Instead of relying on IP or MAC addresses for identity, cellular devices use SIM cards, eSIMs, and unique cellular identifiers like IMSI and IMEI. Traditional firewalls and network access control systems lack the native ability to see, interpret, and enforce policies based on this cellular context. This creates a significant blind spot, leaving a potential backdoor for threats in environments connecting a vast array of IoT and Operational Technology (OT) devices, many of which cannot host traditional security agents. Implementing a Zero Trust security model—where no device is trusted by default—requires continuous verification and granular control, a task that is nearly impossible without deep cellular network visibility.

A Strategic Alliance to Bridge the Expertise Gap

OneLayer's Sentry Partner Program is designed to bridge this divide by building an ecosystem of certified experts. Rather than attempting to address the sprawling market alone, the company is empowering a select group of integrators who already possess deep expertise in private wireless infrastructure and enterprise security.

The list of founding Sentry partners includes industry heavyweights like Burns & McDonnell, World Wide Technology (WWT), Future Technologies Ventures (FTV), Heddian, Logicalis, and STEP CG. These firms are already on the front lines, helping enterprises design and deploy private networks in critical sectors. For them, the partnership adds a crucial layer of specialized security to their portfolio.

"Burns & McDonnell has been actively working on one of the hard, yet unseen challenges, of standing up a private cellular network: Low-touch provisioning," noted Daniel Bayouth, PE, Director of Networks & Wireless at Burns & McDonnell. He added that OneLayer "will play a critical role" in this effort.

The program is structured to foster success, aligning with established best practices for channel enablement in specialized technology markets. Partners gain access to financial incentives such as Market Development Funds (MDF) and SPIF incentives, as well as deal registration margins to protect their sales efforts. Critically, the program provides comprehensive sales and technical certifications, ensuring partners are not just resellers but true implementation experts. This addresses a significant market challenge: the shortage of professionals with dual expertise in both 5G networking and cybersecurity.

"The Sentry Program is our commitment to giving those partners the tools, economics, and certification they need to build high-value practices around private cellular security," stated Dave Mor, CEO of OneLayer.

Beyond Connectivity: Unifying Visibility and Operational Control

The challenge of private cellular extends beyond preventing breaches; it also involves significant operational complexity. Enterprises operating private networks, sometimes alongside connections to multiple public carrier APNs, struggle to maintain a unified view of all their cellular-connected assets.

"Cellular APN customers have struggled to identify and secure devices used across multiple carriers," said Tyler Larkin, General Manager of Cellular Networking Solutions at MCA. "OneLayer's platform provides the single pane of glass to monitor and enforce policies universally."

This "single pane of glass" concept is central to the value proposition. By providing a consolidated management platform, the solution allows organizations to automate SIM provisioning, reduce deployment costs, and enforce consistent security policies across their entire cellular footprint. This is crucial for achieving operational intelligence and simplifying the management of thousands of disparate devices. The focus on automated device onboarding ensures that every new sensor, camera, or piece of machinery is securely integrated into the network from day one, adhering to Zero Trust principles of least-privilege access.

"Private cellular is moving fast, and our customers need solutions that combine connectivity with security and operational control," commented Bob Olwig, Executive Vice President of Global Partner Alliances at World Wide Technology. "The Sentry Program gives us a structured path to build and scale that capability for our clients."

A Maturing Ecosystem Demands Native Security

The launch of the Sentry Partner Program signals a key maturation point for the private cellular ecosystem. As deployments move from pilot projects to large-scale, mission-critical operations, the focus is shifting from simply establishing connectivity to ensuring the network is inherently secure, visible, and operationally sound.

"As private cellular moves into large-scale, complex enterprise deployments, the bar has shifted. Connectivity is table stakes — security and device visibility must be native to the network," said Ed Walton, CEO of STEP CG.

While large, traditional cybersecurity vendors are adapting their product lines for 5G, specialized solutions that are built from the ground up with a deep understanding of cellular protocols are positioned to offer more granular control and effective security. OneLayer's strategy of enabling a specialized channel to deliver its solution, which interoperates with a broad range of ecosystem vendors like Ericsson, Nokia, and Cisco, allows it to meet this demand at scale. By equipping integrators with the necessary tools and expertise, the program helps ensure that security is not an afterthought bolted onto a private network, but a foundational component built into its very fabric.