IBM Acquires Lighthouse Security To Improve Identity Management

IBM has paid an undisclosed amount for Lighthouse Security Group, a subsidiary of Lighthouse Computer Services which offers cloud-based Identity and Access Management (IAM) tools. The deal follows the acquisition of identity management provider CrossIdeas last week.

Very soon, IBM customers will be able to deploy and use the new IAM technology from a secure, hosted environment. The company says this significantly reduces the cost of identity management and speeds up the deployment for any type of IT environment – whether on-premise, cloud, or a combination of the two.

“Our ability to match the power and capabilities of traditional enterprise offerings through a cloud-based service set us apart from the competition and fuelled our success,” said Eric Maass, CTO at Lighthouse Security. “We are excited to become part of IBM’s security offering and help customers continue to transform their operations while giving them the assurance that their most vital assets remain secure.”

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IBM says its security business has grown by 20 percent in the first half of 2014. The company already monitors 15 billion security events every day across more than 130 countries. It also holds more than 3,000 security patents, and employs 6,000 security researchers in its 25 security labs worldwide.

Rhode Island-based Lighthouse Security says its mission is to protect identity and data in an increasingly mobile, cloud-based world. It was established as a subsidiary of Lighthouse Computer Services, a long-time business partner of Big Blue.

IBM believes that as more and more data is stored outside the corporate firewall, IAM becomes the first line of defence against data breaches and identity theft. By integrating Lighthouse Security and CrossIdeas into its own managed security services offering, the company wants to create a complete suite of tools that prevent unauthorised access.

“Business models are rapidly evolving as employees conduct more of their work offsite. Protecting this data and who has access to it has become a challenge, costing our clients time and money,” commented Kris Lovejoy, general manager of IBM Security Services.

“With this acquisition, IBM provides a unique identity and access management offering that combines proven software and analytics technology with expert managed services that make it easy for businesses to tackle the complexities of security in this new digital world.”

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