Websense one step closer to SurfControl acquisition

Vendor receives green light from Office of Fair Trading to proceed with purchase

Web security vendor Websense has been given the thumbs-up by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to continue with its proposed £210m acquisition of internet security vendor SurfControl.

The vendor had already received US regulatory clearance last month, but was waiting for the OFT approval before proceeding with the next stage. The proposed deal has also received approval from the Boards of both vendors.

In an earlier conversation with CRN, Frank Coggrave, regional director Western Europe at Websense, said the deal was expected to close in October.

"The expectation is that the deal is going to close in October providing all the mechanics go through. But until then it is business as usual for both companies," he said.