Distributor Westcon Group announced a North American agreement with network security specialist FireEye. Under the deal, Westcon will offer FireEye’s virtual machine-based security platform, which is designed to guard against security attacks circumventing traditional signature-based defenses such as firewalls, intrusion-protection systems and antivirus technology.
“The rapid proliferation of IT breaches makes network security a top concern for businesses,” Andrew Warren, vice president of security with Westcon Group, said in a statement. “At Westcon, we’ve developed a unique portfolio addressing much more than typical security—helping customers attack potential threats from every angle.”
At the foundation of FireEye is a virtual execution engine, complemented by dynamic threat intelligence, which identifies and protects against cyber-attacks in real time.
FireEye’s offerings range from Web and email security to file protection and malware analysis, and the company has about 2 million virtual machines deployed worldwide. The company’s virtual machine-based Web, email, data center and mobile-security packages are designed to provide real-time threat protection to about 1,500 government, enterprise, and small and midsize customers.
“Today’s security threats are more sophisticated and complex than ever before—leaving companies exposed to cyber-espionage and crime. FireEye offers an open framework for sharing and aggregating cyber-threat intelligence to guard against new risks,” Steve Pataky, vice president of channels for FireEye, said in a statement. “With deep security expertise and a large distribution footprint, Westcon Group is the perfect fit to elevate our presence throughout North America.”
FireEye announced Jan. 2 that it acquired endpoint security provider Mandiant in a cash-and-stock transaction. Under the terms of the agreement, FireEye will issue an aggregation of 21.5 million shares and options to purchase shares of FireEye stock and pay an additional $106.5 million cash.
Mandiant, which makes both advanced endpoint security products and incident-response management solutions, made news last year when it was able to specify a geographic region inside China where an ongoing campaign of information-stealing Internet attacks by a group linked to China’s military was being staged.