Trend Micro Acquires HP TippingPoint

Security software firm Trend Micro has agreed a deal to acquire HP TippingPoint, a specialist in next-generation intrusion prevention systems (NGIPS) and related network security solutions.

The $300m agreement encompasses security technology, intellectual property, industry expertise, as well as a large, loyal enterprise customer base.

Dynamic threat defence

Trend Micro hopes the acquisition will make it the go-to enterprise security provider of dynamic threat defence solutions spanning endpoints, network, data centre and cloud. Trend Micro will also combine current and acquired capabilities to create a Network Defense business unit, serving more than 3,500 enterprise customers.

Today’s ‘borderless’ enterprises are barraged by increasingly complex threats, and companies need to be prepared to efficiently prevent, detect and respond to modern threats that circumvent traditional security. This is compounded by the increase of targeted attacks and advanced threats that bypass traditional controls, leveraging internal networks to access and monetise sensitive data, communications and intellectual property.

Eva Chen, CEO, Trend Micro, said: “To face this problem, organisations need a layered threat defence working seamlessly across the enterprise to address threats before, during and after an attack.

“As an ideal complement to our market-leading protection for data centres and endpoints, this new next-generation network defense solution combines our best-in-class network breach detection system, with proven intrusion prevention and response capabilities from TippingPoint. Given our tenure with both HP and TippingPoint technology, we are excited about the agility of this acquisition and the value it will create for customers.”

By combining intrusion prevention and breach detection, Trend Micro says it is creating a multi-faceted approach to contain sophisticated attacks. Should a compromise occur, the solution can detect and mitigate exploits within the network that could inflict further damage.

Since 2014, Trend Micro and TippingPoint have had a strategic partner relationship, and HP and Trend Micro plan to continue their partnership post transaction. They will form a strategic partnership with TippingPoint around re-sale, managed services and OEM activities, as well as security intelligence, app security and data security.

Mike Spanbauer, VP of research, NSS Labs, said: “This acquisition complements Trend Micro’s current threat defense expertise, extending its strength in endpoint, cloud, data center and breach detection to the network.

“By combining two strong brands, this move accelerates Trend Micro’s enterprise position into a non-competing segment, and provides a single, complete threat defense solution for enterprises seeking to make a critical security investment.”

In addition to network security, this agreement includes the threat insight of TippingPoint’s Digital Vaccine LABS (DVLABS), that provides real-time threat intelligence with security filters to analyse vulnerabilities and exploits. Another benefit is the Zero Day Initiative, which is said to have responsibly disclosed more zero-day vulnerabilities than all competitors combined through an extensive community of researchers.

The deal is expected to be completed by the end of the fourth quarter of 2015, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory review requirements.

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