Corelight: naming a network security game-changer

When Greg Bell stepped in as the new CEO of Broala, he took the reins at a company with strong technology, a solid reputation, and a significant branding challenge.

Broala had built its reputation on Bro (since renamed Zeek), a powerful and widely respected open-source network analysis framework. That foundation gave the company deep credibility with a technical audience, but as it looked to scale, attract investment, and connect with enterprise buyers, the existing name was beginning to hold it back.

Broala needed a new name. More broadly, it needed a brand identity that would signal growth and ambition without losing the trust of the open-source community that made it possible in the first place.

Finding the idea behind the name

To navigate that balance, Heirloom joined a team led by Mike Norris of Covalence Solutions. 

Independent brand strategist Caren Williams led discovery and brand platform development. Through stakeholder interviews and strategic exploration, a brand idea began to emerge—one that captured both the functional and emotional value of the product: Illuminate your network.

It was simple, but powerful. In a space defined by complexity and risk, Broala’s technology provided something invaluable: visibility. The ability to see what others couldn’t. To understand what was happening deep within a network. To bring clarity where there had been darkness.

That idea became the foundation for everything that followed.

Naming the transformation

With a clear brand position in place, Heirloom led the brand naming process, translating strategy into language.

This involved:

• Exploring multiple naming territories rooted in themes like illumination, intelligence, and network depth

• Generating and refining hundreds of potential names

• Conducting linguistic evaluation to ensure global usability

• Running trademark prescreening to identify viable, protectable options

• Assessing domain availability and SEO considerations to support long-term discoverability

The new name needed to sound good, look good, and—most importantly—carry the weight of the brand’s future.

From this process, one name rose to the top: Corelight. It perfectly captured the “Illuminate your network” strategy.

“Core” anchored the brand in what matters most—the heart of the network. “Light” expressed the product’s core benefits—visibility, clarity, and insight.

Together, the name told a clear and compelling story: Corelight brings light to the core of your network.

Bringing the brand to life

Once the name was established, it became the foundation for a broader identity system designed by creative director Tamara Crawford, now Global Brand Director at the company.

The visual identity leaned into the same idea of illumination:

• A glowing green “C” symbolizing light emerging from within

• A palette with plenty of white, negative space to reinforce clarity

• Clean, sans-serif typography to convey precision and modernity

Every element worked together to express the same core idea—cutting through noise to reveal what matters.

A name that delivered

The transition from Broala to Corelight signaled a new phase of growth.

Shortly after launch, the company secured $9.2 million in funding, its first-ever round of outside investment. The new name and identity helped position the company more effectively with enterprise customers and investors, while still maintaining credibility with the open-source community behind Bro. More recently, the company raised $150 million in Series E funding at a valuation of approximately $900 million.

Why it matters

In cybersecurity, where products are often complex and differentiation can be difficult, a name plays a critical role. “Corelight” is an identifier—but it’s also a shortcut to understanding.

Corelight demonstrates how the right name can:

• Clarify a complex value proposition

• Bridge technical and business audiences

• Support SEO and digital visibility

• Scale with a company as it grows

And most importantly, it shows how naming—when grounded in strategy—can become a powerful driver of business impact.

Build what comes next

At Heirloom, company naming is about more than just creativity. It’s also about strategy, distinctiveness, memorability, and—of course—legal availability. Finding a company name that meets these and other criteria requires a rigorous process.

Whether you’re launching something new or redefining what already exists, we bring together brand naming, strategy, visual identity, and more to deliver brands built for growth.

Get in touch with Heirloom to start your brand-building journey.