Networking equipment giant Cisco says it intends to acquire the privately held and London-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) security software company ScanSafe.
ScanSafe develops web-security solutions for organisations ranging from small businesses up to global enterprises. The amount Cisco intends to pay for ScanSafe has not been disclosed.
“With the acquisition of ScanSafe, Cisco is executing on our vision to build a borderless network security architecture that combines network and cloud-based services for advanced security enforcement,” said Tom Gillis, vice-president and general manager of Cisco’s Security Technology Business Unit (STBU).
“Cisco will provide customers the flexibility to choose the deployment model that best suits their organisation and deliver anytime, anywhere protection against web-based threats,” Gillis said.
The web security market
Web security is a large and expanding market expected to grow to $2.3 billion by 2012. By acquiring ScanSafe, Cisco is building on its successful acquisition of leading on-premise content security provider IronPort.
The acquisition brings together the Cisco IronPort web security appliance and ScanSafe’s leading SaaS web security service.
“ScanSafe pioneered the market for SaaS web security and continues as a leader in this rapidly growing market,” said ScanSafe CEO Eldar Tuvey.
“At a time when enterprises are increasingly focused on a flexible and mobile workplace, the need for hybrid-hosted web-security solutions is greater than ever. By joining the Cisco team we will be able to offer even better and more flexible protection to our customers.”
Service integration
ScanSafe’s service will be integrated with Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client, the newest virtual private network (VPN) product from Cisco, to provide the industry’s leading secure mobility solution.
In addition, ScanSafe’s global network of carrier-grade data centres and multi-tenant architecture will further enhance Cisco’s ability to provide new cloud-security services for customers anywhere in the world.
Upon the close of the acquisition, the ScanSafe team will become part of Cisco’s STBU, reporting to Gillis.
By John Kennedy
Photo: With the acquisition of ScanSafe, Cisco is executing its vision to build a borderless network security architecture that combines network and cloud-based services for advanced security enforcement.
