IBM’s acquisition spree continued today with the announcement that it is buying enterprise security firm BigFix. Terms were not disclosed.
BigFix, based in Emeryville, California, offers software that can identify all of a company’s PCs, laptops and servers and flag if a device is not in compliance with corporate IT standards. It can then recommend security fixes and software updates to 500,000 machines in a matter of minutes, Big Blue said.
"BigFix automates some of the most time-intensive IT tasks across the most complex global networks, helping save organisations significant amounts of time, labour, and expense," said Al Zollar, general manager, IBM Tivoli software. "BigFix’s real-time visibility and control for globally distributed computing devices will complement IBM’s existing smarter data centre offerings and strengthen our ability to build security into the fabric of the enterprise."
IBM said that BigFix will sit within its Tivoli division and contribute to Big Blue’s security infrastructure, which includes consolidating endpoint protection, systems lifecycle management, security configuration and vulnerability management. It can also be used to manage anti-virus anti-malware, firewall and network access control software.
Companies can also use the technology to monitor PC workstations and shut them down overnight if necessary, reducing power consumption and saving money.
BigFix has around 200 employees and more than 700 customers from retail, entertainment, healthcare, education and financial services.
IBM has been busy in the acquisition space recently, snapping up web analytics firm Coremetrics, cloud integration firm Cast Iron Systems and B2B eCommerce vendor Sterling Commerce.
