IBM acquires Polar Security in a bid to automate cloud data protection

Big Blue says it's hoping to integrate Polar Security’s data security posture management solution into its Guardium family of data security

Vendor giant IBM has announced acquisition of Polar Security in the hope to automate cloud data protection.

This is IBM's fifth acquisition in 2023, and the company's thirtieth since CEO Arvind Krishna took over in April 2020 with the target of bolstering the the company's hybrid cloud and AI capabilities.

Founded in January 2021, Polar Security is a developer of a data security posture management solution (DSPM) - an emerging cybersecurity segment that reveals where sensitive data is stored, who has access to it, how it's used, and identifies vulnerabilities.

IBM says it plans to integrate Polar Security's DSPM technology within its Guardium family of data security products.

Automate, automate, automate

IBM's focus has been rapidly shifting towards automation in the last few months, with the $60.5bn-revenue vendor telling Bloomberg it was taking the "human" out of some human resources and other back-office jobs that AI and automation can do instead of people.

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna told the news outlet he plans to suspend or slow hiring for about 26,000 non-customer-facing back-office roles, a tenth of the company's total workforce.

Krishna said he "could easily see" 30 per cent of those roles - 7,800 jobs - replaced by AI and automation over the next five years.

In a statement to CRN, an IBM spokesperson said the company does not have a "blanket hiring ‘pause' in place."

"IBM is being deliberate and thoughtful in our hiring with a focus on revenue-generating roles, and we're being very selective when filling jobs that don't directly touch our clients or technology. We are actively hiring for thousands of positions right now."

Krishna also told Bloomberg that despite announcing a cull of about 3,900 people from its workforce (representing 1.5 per cent of its global employee base), the vendor has hired about 7,000 people during the first quarter.

The IBM boss also stated he believed until late 2022 that the US could avoid a recession.

Now, however, he predicts a "shallow and short" recession toward the end of 2023.