HP TippingPoint shifts at $300 mn towards Trend Micro

DALLAS: Trend Micro International, a security software major has signed a definitive agreement to acquire HP TippingPoint, a provider of next-generation intrusion prevention systems (NGIPS) and related network security solutions.

The approximately $300 million agreement encompasses security technology, intellectual property, industry expertise, as well as a large, loyal enterprise customer base. Trend Micro will also combine current and acquired capabilities to create a Network Defense business unit, serving more than 3,500 enterprise customers.

Today’s “borderless” enterprises are barraged by increasingly complex threats, and organizations must be prepared to efficiently prevent, detect and respond to modern threats that circumvent traditional security, adds the company. This is compounded by the increase of targeted attacks and advanced threats that bypass traditional controls, leveraging internal networks to access and monetize sensitive data, communications and intellectual property.

“To face this problem, organizations need a layered threat defense working seamlessly across the enterprise to address threats before, during and after an attack,” said Eva Chen, CEO, Trend Micro. “As an ideal complement to our market-leading protection for data centers and endpoints1, this new next-generation network defense solution combines our best-in-class network breach detection system2 with proven intrusion prevention and response capabilities from TippingPoint. Given our tenure with both HP and TippingPoint technology, we are excited about the agility of this acquisition and the value it will create for customers.”

Since 2014, Trend Micro and TippingPoint have had a strategic partner relationship. HP and Trend Micro will continue to be strong partners post transaction. The two companies will form a strategic partnership with TippingPoint around re-sale, managed services and OEM activities, as well as security intelligence, app security and data security.

“This acquisition complements Trend Micro’s current threat defense expertise, extending its strength in endpoint, cloud, data center and breach detection to the network,” said Mike Spanbauer, vice president of research, NSS Labs. “By combining two strong brands, this move accelerates Trend Micro’s enterprise position into a non-competing segment, and provides a single, complete threat defense solution for enterprises seeking to make a critical security investment.”

The deal is expected to be finalized by the end of the fourth quarter of 2015, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory review requirements.