Cisco will acquire OpenDNS, a San Francisco cloud security company, for $635 million.
The OpenDNS cloud-delivered platform, which offers security delivered in a software-as-a-service model, will add broad visibility and threat intelligence to Cisco’s Security Everywhere approach.
The combination of the two companies is intended to provide threat protection before, during and after an attack.
The OpenDNS team will join the Cisco Security business organisation under senior vice president and general manager David Goeckeler. As part of the acquisition, Cisco will offer retention-based incentives for the company.
The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of fiscal year 2016. For Cisco, the acquisition of OpenDNS, which recently opening a London office for its EMEA operations, will help it achieve its aim of embedding security throughout the extended network of the Internet of Everything.
"As more people, processes, data and things become connected, opportunities for security breaches and malicious threats grow exponentially when away from secure enterprise networks," said Hilton Romanski, Cisco chief technology and strategy officer.
Romanski adds: "OpenDNS has a strong team with deep security expertise and key technology that complements Cisco’s security vision. Together, we will help customers protect their extended network wherever the user is and regardless of the device."
