SAP to Acquire Security Software from SECUDE

SAP is planning to buy secure login and single sign-on products from Switzerland-based security vendor SECUDE.

SAP announced Jan. 12 it will acquire a chunk of SECUDE's security business in order to bolster its identity management capabilities.

The deal, made for an undisclosed sum, brings the security software, identity and access management software and other related assets of SECUDE into the SAP portfolio. In particular, the deal is focused on SECUDE's Secure Login and Enterprise Single Sign-On products.

According to SAP, the acquisition of the technology is meant to underline its commitment to investing in security.

"We are very pleased that, in closing this transaction, SAP is not only in a position to satisfy our customers' security requirements, but also to expand the SAP NetWeaver Identity Management component to include Secure Login Server and Enterprise Single Sign-On," said Bj??érn Goerke, senior vice president of the Technology and Innovation Platform Core at SAP, in a statement.

SAP plans to provide a basic version of SECUDE's Secure Login to its current customers and as a part of all new releases at no additional cost. Secure Login enables encryption of communication paths and single sign-on to SAP's standard Windows graphic user interface to be made available with every SAP installation. Meanwhile, the Enterprise Single Sign-On product manages and stores all user IDs and passwords, and will be bundled with SAP's NetWeaver Identity Management product.

SAP is slated to release both Secure Login and Single Sign-On to its customers during the second quarter of 2011, the company said.

Based in Switzerland, SECUDE is a provider of IT security software and consulting services. SECUDE will continue to operate as an independent company, and said it will focus its efforts on its FinallySecure encryption technology.

"I am very pleased that SECUDE's deep expertise as a world leader in the field of security technology will now be available to SAP's vast customer base," said Heiner Kromer, SECUDE founder and CEO, in a statement. "This deal is a significant one, especially considering the role security plays in ensuring compliance and strict governance for businesses."

The transaction between SAP and SECUDE is expected to close on or about Feb. 1.