ISS Acquires Content-Security Vendor

Internet Security Systems Inc. on Wednesday announced its acquisition of Cobion AG, a German content-security vendor whose technology ISS plans to build into its Proventia line of appliances.

The acquisition is meant to round out ISS lineup of security products, which until now has consisted of vulnerability assessment and intrusion detection solutions for the most part. At the introduction of the Proventia appliances last year—which include IDS, intrusion prevention, anti-virus and other defense technologies—the one technology that was missing from the boxes was content security. The appliances already include some content filtering and anti-spam capabilities, but ISS officials believe Cobions technology will be a good fit for the Proventia boxes as well.

Cobion is best known for its anti-spam and Web content filtering solutions, which rely on massive proprietary databases that the company has developed over the years. The company, based in Kassel, Germany, has three main products: OrangeBox Web, OrangeBox Mail and OrangeBox LAN.

ISS, based in Atlanta, paid $33.4 million for the acquisition.

ISS purchase of Cobion is the latest in a series of recent acquisitions and mergers in the security market going back to the fall. And it also positions ISS to compete head-on with the growing number of vendors that are assembling diverse product portfolios and all-in-one security appliances.