Inventory | 7 major acquisitions in the cybersecurity field recently

Cybersecurity is more important today than ever before. The reason is that we are more connected than ever before. Digital transformation has brought us a new dawn where everything is connected through the internet. However, this makes our data more vulnerable than ever before. Technology is advancing, and so are attackers. We live in the age of IoT, where everything is connected and it is easy for hackers to break into a network and start causing damage. Recent security breaches, like the one at Equifax, have left businesses on edge.

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These breaches happen every day and are becoming more common. This is of course related to the shift of business to the cloud, and while cloud vendors ensure that everything on their platforms is secure, breaches can occur in a variety of ways. The stakes are really high to protect data and applications, so there is a growing need for security tools that go beyond just perimeter-based protection. These tools need to provide comprehensive protection using best-in-class technology in order to be able to rely on them. Since the need for cybersecurity is greater than ever, there has been a recent increase in acquisitions of IT security companies. Let's take a look at the reasons behind these IT security acquisitions and deals.

1. BlackBerry acquires Cylance

BlackBerry recently acquired Cylance for $1.4 billion. Cylance is an AI-driven security company that uses AI and machine learning to predict and prevent attacks on endpoint devices. It creates a lightweight agent that is installed in all devices and works both online and offline to provide protection against any attack. Cylance has 3,500 customers, including several Fortune 500 companies.

BlackBerry hopes to add Cylance's capabilities to its own security portfolio for better protection. The company also wants to integrate Cylance's technology with its secure embedded operating system called QNX, which is primarily deployed in vehicles and medical devices.

2. Symantec acquires Appthority

Well-known security company Symantec has acquired San Francisco-based cybersecurity startup Appthority. Appthority specializes in mobile threat detection. It performs continuous and automated application reviews and application threat assessments, and provides users with in-depth insights into their applications and their vulnerabilities. Appthority was founded in 2011 and has raised a total of $25 million.

Symantec will integrate Appthority's technology into its own endpoint protection product SEP Mobile. With Appthority's capabilities, mobile applications can be regularly checked to ensure that they comply with security regulations. Symantec itself is reportedly a target of a blockbuster deal to be acquired by Broadcom.

3. Arctic Wolf acquires RootSecure

Late last year, Arctic Wolf acquired RootSecure, which provides cybersecurity risk assessment solutions that help users scan their networks regularly to discover all connected devices and check the enterprise's network resilience. With the acquisition, Arctic Wolf will be able to offer enterprises the combined power of RootSecure and Arctic Wolf's AWN CyberSOC to detect and eliminate threats. RootSecure provides real-time insights into corporate network vulnerabilities. However, Arctic Wolf's AWN CyberSOC helps companies of all sizes protect themselves from imminent cyber threats cost-effectively.

4. Thoma Bravo acquires Veracode

Private equity firm Thoma Bravo has acquired Veracode for $950 million. Veracode is an IT security company that provides innovative application security testing (AST). Veracode's SaaS platform and integrated solutions help security and development teams continuously discover security flaws in applications throughout the application lifecycle. This helps teams avoid any vulnerabilities in application development without affecting the speed of delivery. So far, Thoma Bravo has acquired more than 30 security companies. With this acquisition, Veracode hopes to achieve growth and innovation while expanding its market coverage. Veracode has more than 2,000 customers. Its customers include one-third of the Fortune 100 companies.

5. Radware acquires ShieldSquare

Distributed denial of service (DDoS) protection provider Radware has acquired cloud security provider Shield Square. ShieldSquare detects bots and fraudulent traffic and protects applications from them. ShieldSquare's bot intelligence solution is available for web, mobile, and APIs. Users can view their traffic as known bot signatures are flagged. ShieldSquare's solution helps protect against a variety of threats, including API abuse, content scraping, and malicious traffic.

Radware plans to offer the ShieldSquare bot management solution as part of its new bot manager, and it also plans to integrate ShieldSquare’s capabilities with Radware’s attack defense portfolio.

6. Symantec acquires Luminate security

In addition to acquiring Appthority, Symantec also acquired Luminate, a leader in software-defined technology. Luminate’s Access Cloud is tailor-made for cloud security. Cloud does not allow for protection of defined parameters. However, for enterprises that rely on multiple cloud vendors or hybrid models, the complexity increases exponentially. Access Cloud helps enterprises by helping them extend private, DNS-free access controls, thereby limiting users to access only the specific applications they authorize.

Companies and users want seamless access to their applications, no matter where they are located. Therefore, it is necessary to provide secure access to protect these applications from new security risks caused by multiple vendors. Symantec plans to integrate cloud access with its own integrated network defense platform. This marks another step forward for Symantec towards building a first-class IT security portfolio.

7. Palo Alto Networks acquires Demisto

Palo Alto Networks has acquired Demisto for $560 million. Demisto is a leader in IT security orchestration and automation solutions. Palo Alto Networks hopes to use Demisto's solutions to accelerate innovation in its own artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities by instilling intelligent automation. With the help of Demisto, Palo Alto Networks will be able to provide immediate threat prevention and response. Another huge attraction of acquiring Demisto is that it has an impressive customer base of 150, a significant number of which are Fortune 500 companies.

IT security: Better technology to fight more sophisticated attacks

These are just a few of the many IT security acquisitions that have taken place recently. Seeing these increasingly frequent acquisitions, it is easy to understand the growing security needs. In the cloud era, all our data and applications are distributed, which makes the attack surface larger. Hackers can attack a large amount of user data and confidential business-related data. Therefore, innovation is needed when it comes to network security. It is not just about running antivirus software on all workstations, but it is necessary to scan the entire network for vulnerabilities. Cyber ​​attacks can cost the victim a heavy price in terms of both money and reputation, and recent data breaches are causing companies to rethink their entire security strategy.

The technology is more sophisticated than ever, and so are hackers. Hackers are highly motivated and can exploit any external endpoint to gain access to an organization's network and wreak havoc on systems by compromising them to the point of crashing, exfiltrating data, or leveraging expensive resources. Businesses should understand that they can't just stop working on security. It requires a continuous and rigorous process to discover new threats and find ways to prevent them. This is also why cybersecurity companies are being acquired. The IT security and cybersecurity business will only grow from here, as every company looks to improve their competitiveness by investing in new technologies that can make them stand out in this rapidly growing and evolving field.