Not so long after Symantec took out storage management software vendor Veritas, it’s on the acquisition spree again, this time buying up the far smaller Sygate Technologies for an undisclosed sum.
The deal enables Symantec to push into the network access control space, an emerging area of security where Cisco is currently the mindshare leader.
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When the transaction closes, the company will immediately start selling Sygate’s Universal Network Access Control system through its own channel. Over time, elements of Symantec’s product line will be integrated into SNAC.
NAC systems give administrators a way to mitigate the effects of network attacks by checking endpoints for compliance with security policies and quarantining those at risk until their vulnerabilities can be addressed.
The plan following the acquisition is to integrate software such as patch management and vulnerability remediation systems to create what Symantec senior director of product management Brian Foster calls “remediation networks”.
For Sygate, a small five-year old software company, the deal gives it the massive market clout to take its NAC up against the likes of Cisco’s Network Admission Control and Microsoft’s Network Access Protection technologies. The deal also shows that Symantec remains prepared to splash its cash so as not to lag behind the latest security technologies.
