Memco Software Ltd has completed its acquisition of fellow Israeli company AbirNet Ltd (CI No 3,408). Memco, whose flagships are its SeOS server security and Proxima single sign-on software, hopes to add AbirNet’s network detection and intrusion detection systems to its arsenal, first through bundling but finally through software integration. The companies claim AbirNet’s SessionWall-3 can identify and block unwanted network traffic on internet servers. That traffic might take the form of spam, mailbombs or hacker attacks externally, or abuse of network resources within a company. The software can alert administrators to these problems in real time. Those capabilities were attractive enough to persuade Memco to part with $27.5m for AbirNet. That wasn’t quite as steep as it sounds, however, since the deal specified $16.2m in shares and only the remainder in cash. Will the graft take? In its favor, both companies conduct their development in Israel and distribution in the States. However their sales models differ. Historically, Memco has sold directly and through OEMs and resellers, where AbirNet has done best with telesales into workgroups. Jeff Palmer, VP of marketing for Memco, says AbirNet will continue to use that channel. The long-term plan, however, involves enhancing SeOS with pieces of SessionWall-3 in order to create an integrated enterprise security package. As Parker put it: The idea of combining protection and detection seemed a compelling one. There’s a joke in there somewhere – something about raincoats – but we should probably leave well enough alone.