Symantec acquires MessageLabs to boost security-as-a-service
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Deal worth $700 million also boosts anti-virus vendor’s web and email security offering
Security software vendor Symantec has agreed to acquire MessageLabs, a managed security services provider, for $700 million (£400 million).
UK-headquarted MessageLabs, whose turnover in the last financial year was £60 million, is a pioneer in the delivery of information security functionality as a service.
Last year, Symantec launched the Symantec Protection Network (SPN), a software-as-a-service platform for security tools such as backup and secure remote access. MessageLabs’ email and web security services will be incorporated into SPN following the acquisition.
Last month saw security software vendor McAfee – one of Symantec’s bitterest rivals – acquire Secure Computing, again for its email and web security tools (albeit without the SaaS basis). This acquisition activity reflects the growing prevalence of web- and email-based malware threats.
At Information Age’s recent Enterprise Security 08 conference, Philippe Courtot, CEO of SaaS IP inspection provider Qualys, explained the logic of security-as-a-service.
“Attacks are becoming more sophisticated, innovation is accelerating and there is an ever-increasing set of data security and privacy regulations,” he explained. Traditional software houses, meanwhile, are slowed down by their obligation to test their software on the various available platforms.
“That’s why SaaS is such a disruptive technology – it’s an order of magnitude more cost effective to develop, deliver and update,” Courtot said.
See the forthcoming October issue of Information Age for more from Enteprise Security 08.
Further reading
McAfee to acquire Secure Computing
Malware in the safezone
Illegitimate code embedded in seemingly safe websites is replacing email as the main method of delivering malware
Mobile insecurity
Is the new wave of Internet-connected mobile devices carving out a gaping hole in enterprise security?
Find more stories in the Security & Continuity Briefing Room
