Sophos expanded its network security portfolio with its latest acquisition of India-based Cyberoam Technologies for an undisclosed sum, the company said February 10th.
The acquisition gives Sophos access to Cyberoam’s expertise in next-generation firewalls and network security, the company said in a statement. Sophos plans to combine its existing line of unified threat management and wireless security products with Cyberoam UTMs and next-generation firewall appliances to beef up the company’s network security offerings.
IDC Research estimates the network security market was worth $7.9 billion in 2012, and the market for UTMs alone was valued at $2.7 billion.
“The acquisition expands and accelerates our network security roadmap to grow our presence in UTM, advanced threat protection, wireless and next generation firewall – some of the fastest growing markets in all of IT,” said Kris Hagerman, CEO of Sophos.
The Cyberoam UTM and firewall appliances are built on similar Intel architecture as Sophos UTM and deliver advanced technologies such as the iView reporting engine, application control, user-based network policies, sophisticated firewall capabilities, and advanced threat protection. With this deal, Sophos can operate across endpoint, mobile, encryption, and data protection, email, Web server, and
network. These areas are particularly important for small and midmarket enterprises.
Cyberoam has more than 65,000 customers, 550 employees and a strong channel network with 5,500 partners. The final combined company will have more than 2,200 employees, with more than 600 focused on network security and more than 350 engaged in research and development efforts. The company is particularly strong in India, the Middle East, and Africa.
“Cyberoam has built a strong reputation as an aggressive and nimble innovator in the network security market, and like Sophos, has a ‘channel-first’ approach and reputation for delivering top-notch service and support,” Hagerman said.
Fahmida Y. Rashid is an accomplished security journalist and technologist. She is a regular contributor for several publications including iPCMag.com where she is a networking and security analyst. She also was a senior writer at eWeek where she covered security, core Internet infrastructure and open source. As well, she was a senior technical editor at CRN Test Center reviewing open source, storage, and networking products.