Sourcefire has acquired anti-malware vendor Immunet to build out its cloud-based security capabilities.
The deal, completed for $21 million, combines Sourcefire’s intrusion-prevention technology with Immunet’s cloud approach. According to Sourcefire, the buy immediately allows the company to provide endpoint protection from client-side attacks, and enables the company to use a mix of reputation services, data loss prevention and forensics to tighten security.
“Immunet is a disruptive innovator in delivering cloud-based security solutions with over 750,000 users in 192 countries,” said John Burris, CEO of Sourcefire, in a statement. “This acquisition enables Sourcefire to accelerate our cloud initiatives and provides significant value to customers by protecting them against advanced client-side attacks. Immunet’s technologies build upon Sourcefire’s reputation for providing customers with innovative solutions that protect them from the latest threats.”
The buy is the second security acquisition to make the news this week. Jan. 4, Dell announced it had signed an agreement to acquire managed security services provider SecureWorks.
According to Sourcefire, Immunet founders Oliver Friedrichs, Alfred Huger and Adam O’Donnell will all stay on, as will all full-time Immunet employees.
In a blog post, Friedrichs wrote that the acquisition will allow Immunet to continue developing technology “with a large amount of autonomy,” while allowing it to take advantage of the millions of users that rely on Sourcefire’s products today.
“Sourcefire is a great match for us from a technological, cultural, and philosophical standpoint-that was one of the reasons this acquisition made so much sense,” Freidrich’s blogged. “They are a well-respected company with deep roots in security [and] solid products, such as Snort, the most well known network Intrusion Prevention System on the market today.”