SecureData, a member of the JSE-listed ERP.com Group and a southern African distributor for Websense, today announced that the latter has a definitive agreement to acquire PortAuthority Technologies, Inc, of Palo Alto, California, and Ra'anana, Israel, for approximately $90 million in cash.
The planned acquisition will bring together two technology and market leaders in pre-emptive content security: PortAuthority with its information leak prevention technology and Websense with its ThreatSeeker malicious content identification and categorisation technology.
The result will be a new best-of-breed security software company with the capabilities to help organisations prevent the unauthorised use or disclosure of confidential data while simultaneously protecting users and data from external malicious threats.
Through an existing OEM technology alliance established in September 2006, Websense has been working with PortAuthority to enhance the Websense Deep Content Control technology to deliver comprehensive security solutions that protect users and data from internal and external threats, both known and emerging.
Combining Websense's ThreatSeeker malicious content identification and categorisation technology with PortAuthority's PreciseID data fingerprinting technology into a single integrated offering will allow organisations to manage how confidential data is permitted to leave an organisation and under what circumstances. With deep knowledge of Internet destinations, protocols and applications, along with detailed fingerprints of internal data, Websense Deep Content Control technology will help protect information flowing through the network, including outbound, internal and Web-based e-mail, Web postings, instant messaging, file transfers and network printing. Additionally, both technologies will use an integrated policy engine to give organisations the unique ability to manage and protect information by individual user rather than by device or Internet protocol address.
"Today's high impact security threats aren't about a worm overloading your mail system. They are about people stealing your proprietary information," commented Gene Hodges, CEO, Websense. "Websense and PortAuthority are solving this problem today by helping companies prevent Web-based information theft and internal information leakage."
"Through this planned acquisition, Websense gains not only PortAuthority technology but the security-savvy engineers that have developed this industry-leading technology," added Hodges. "Websense is committed to maintaining PortAuthority's research and development presence in Israel and retaining the engineering talent responsible for this innovative technology."
The market for data-centric content control is growing. IDC predicts that this market will grow from $194 million in 2007 to $434.6 million in 2009, representing a nearly 50% compound annual growth rate.
"Websense and PortAuthority provide unique solutions to the information protection puzzle - protecting information from the inside and outside," added Pete Foley, CEO, PortAuthority. "This acquisition is a natural evolution for both companies given the synergies between Websense's security software, research and content classification, and our award-winning information leak prevention software."
Websense plans to deliver its information leak prevention software through worldwide channel partners, including those with an existing relationship with PortAuthority.
The stockholders of PortAuthority have approved the proposed acquisition, to be effected via a merger between a subsidiary of Websense and PortAuthority. The closing of the merger is subject to standard closing conditions and is expected to close in January 2007. Upon closure of the transaction, Websense will assume the assets and liabilities of PortAuthority, including approximately $5 million in working capital and $4 million in indebtedness.
For further information, please contact Willem Barnard at telephone +27 11 790 2500; fax +27 11 790 2599; e-mail willemb@securedata.co.za.
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Websense, Inc, is the global leader in Web filtering, and a premier provider of Web security software, and is preferred by leading Fortune 500, and FTSE 100 customers, as well as government agencies and educational institutions. Websense products increase employee Internet productivity and secure organisations from emerging Internet threats by providing a proactive Web security component that complements traditional security solutions. Only Websense delivers flexible, integrated policy enforcement at the Internet gateway, on the network and at the desktop. Websense provides solutions trusted by more than 24 000 customers and 19.8 million employees worldwide.
SecureData
SecureData, an ERP.com company, is Africa's premier value-added distributor and solution provider of perimeter, network and endpoint information security and risk management solutions. As well as being the sole distributor in Sub-Saharan Africa for Trend Micro, SecureData is the Sub-Saharan African distributor for AirDefense, Application Security, Cibecs, eEye, Network Engines, Precise Biometrics, Rocket Software, RSA Security, St Bernard Software, TippingPoint Technologies and Websense. For more information, visit SecureData at www.securedata.co.za.
ERP.com
ERP.com is a JSE-listed company focused on the implementation, integration and management of enterprise applications in an e-business environment. For more information, visit ERP.com at www.erpcom.co.za.
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