Google sees off Microsoft to acquire Mandiant for $5.4bn

Cybersecurity firm will be used to bolster Google Cloud’s existing security capabilities

Google has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire cybersecurity vendor Mandiant for $5.4bn, seeing off competition from Microsoft.

California-based Mandiant provides threat intelligence to protect against cyber-attacks and will "complement Google Cloud's existing strengths in security", the tech giant said.

Google has seen off reported competition from rival Microsoft for the acquisition, with Bloomberg last month reporting that the company was in talks over a potential deal.

"Organisations around the world are facing unprecedented cybersecurity challenges as the sophistication and severity of attacks that were previously used to target major governments are now being used to target companies in every industry," said Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud.

"We look forward to welcoming Mandiant to Google Cloud to further enhance our security operations suite and advisory services, and help customers address their most important security challenges."

Mandiant was acquired by FireEye in 2013 for a deal in excess of $1bn, but its security product business was then sold to a consortium led by Symphony Technology Group for $1.2bn in June last year.

Google says the cybersecurity firm's offering will now be used to "enhance" its existing cloud security capabilities - including BeyondCorp Enterprise for Zero Trust, VirusTotal for malicious content and software vulnerabilities and Chronicle's planet-scale security analytics and automation.

It also claims the deal will "enable system integrators, resellers and managed security service providers to offer broader solutions to customers".

"There has never been a more critical time in cybersecurity. Since our founding in 2004, Mandiant's mission has been to combat cyber-attacks and protect our customers from the latest threats," said Kevin Mandia, CEO, Mandiant.

"To that end, we are thrilled to be joining forces with Google Cloud. Together, we will deliver expertise and intelligence at scale, changing the security industry."