Managed security service snapped up by giant.
Ever-expanding web giant
Google
has continued its growth into both security and software-as-service spheres with the $625 million acquisition of major email security provider
Postini
.
Managed service provider
Postini
was set up in California in 1999 and now boasts 14 data centres around the world, with 35,000 businesses and 10 million end users protected by its web, IM and email services, which process 1 billion messages per day. The company also offers archiving, encryption and compliance services, and claims a 45% share of the managed service market. The company claims to offer significant advantages of herd immunity from its large customer base and broad overview of global email and web activity, as well as easy transition processes for new customers and minimal admin overheads.
Google
‘s ‘
Google Apps
‘-branded software-as-a-service range, which covers email provision from
Gmail
as well as messaging, calendar and office software offerings, is now used by 100,000 businesses, with 1,000 new small businesses signing up daily.
Postini
will become a wholly owned subsidiary of
Google
in a deal worth $625 million in cash, which should be completed by late autumn this year.
‘This move, hot on the heels of the purchase of
GreenBorder
, will bolster rumours that
Google
may be looking to add a specialist anti-virus firm to its security portfolio,’ said
John Hawes
, Technical Consultant at Virus Bulletin. ‘
Postini
currently includes malware protection provided by
McAfee
and
Authentium
, as well as its own in-house technology, but it seems more likely than ever that
Google
will want to bring anti-malware in-house, and with this kind of spending power just about anyone is within their reach.’
A press release detailing the acquisition is
here
(at
Google
) or
here
(at
Postini
), and some commentary from a
CNN Money
blogger is
here
.
Posted on 09 July 2007 by
Virus Bulletin
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