Websense buys PortAuthority

Acquisition follows a three-month OEM partnership to strengthen its information leak prevention technology offering

Online security vendor Websense has announced a definitive agreement to acquire PortAuthority Technologies for around $90m in cash.

The deal is expected to close next month but is subject to standard closing conditions.

Websense revealed it intends to combine its ThreatSeeker malicious content identification and categorisation technology with PortAuthority’s PreciseID data fingerprinting technology, which it claims will allow firms to manage how confidential data is permitted to leave an organisation and under what circumstances. It also said it would sell the combined technology through both firms' channel partners. The two companies have worked together since September via an OEM technology alliance.

Gene Hodges, chief executive of Websense said: “Today's high impact security threats aren't about a worm overloading your mail system. They are about people stealing your proprietary information. 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.”

Pete Foley, chief executive of PortAuthority said: “This acquisition is a natural evolution for both companies given the synergies between Websense's security software, research and content classification, and our information leak prevention software.”