[May 09, 2013] McAfee to Acquire Stonesoft Tweet May 09, 2013 (Close-Up Media via COMTEX) -- McAfee announced the execution of a definitive agreement to initiate a conditional tender offer for the acquisition of Stonesoft Oyj, a company focusing in next-generation network firewall products, for an aggregate equity value of approximately $389 million in cash. According to a release, Stonesoft delivers software-based, dynamic, customer-driven, cyber security solutions to secure information flow and simplify security management. Stonesoft's product portfolio of next-generation firewalls, evasion prevention systems, and SSL VPN solutions addresses businesses of all sizes. Through the pending acquisition of Stonesoft, McAfee expects to extend its leadership position in network security. "With the pending addition of Stonesoft's products and services, McAfee is making a significant investment in next-generation firewall technology. These solutions anticipate emerging customer needs in a continually evolving threat landscape," said Michael DeCesare, McAfee President. "Stonesoft is a leading innovator in this important market segment. We plan to integrate Stonesoft's offerings with other McAfee products to realize the power of McAfee's Security Connected strategy. Stonesoft products will benefit from the collective expertise of more than 7,200 McAfee employees. Leveraging McAfee's cloud-based Global Threat Intelligence service will provide our combined customers with unparalleled security." The rationale for the proposed acquisition is as follows: -Network security is a vital component of a security solution. Next-generation firewalls solve critical customer needs and represent one of the fastest growing market segments in network security. -Stonesoft is a company focusing in the next-generation firewall segment. Gartner positioned the company as "visionary" in the 2013 Network Security Firewall Magic Quadrant. Stonesoft achieved "Recommend" status in NSS Labs' latest 2013 firewall tests. -With Stonesoft, McAfee expects to grow its network security business by delivering the industry's most complete network security solution with three platforms: McAfee's IPS Network Security Platform, McAfee's Firewall Enterprise for the high assurance market segment, and Stonesoft's next-generation firewall. Based in Helsinki, Finland, Stonesoft is trusted by more than 6,500 customers across the globe. Stonesoft's customer base can now benefit from an integrated security solution through McAfee. Similarly, McAfee's global customer base will benefit from access to a next-generation firewall. Stonesoft's next-generation firewall, when combined with McAfee's IPS and high assurance firewall, provides customers with one of the most complete network security portfolios in the industry. "The combination of the two companies allows Stonesoft to benefit from McAfee's global presence and sales organization of over 2,200 employees, best-in-class threat research and technology synergies" said Ilkka Hiidenheimo, Chief Executive Officer of Stonesoft. "Combined, we believe we can offer our customers a world-class product portfolio with world-class support - all backed by Intel." McAfee, a subsidiary of Intel Corp., helps businesses, the public sector, and home users to safely experience the benefits of the Internet. Intel designs and builds the essential technologies that serve as the foundation for the world's computing devices. Stonesoft Corp. delivers software based, dynamic, customer-driven cyber security solutions that secure information flow and simplify security management. More Information: http://www.mcafee.com http://www.stonesoft.com ((Comments on this story may be sent to [email protected])) [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]