EMC on Monday announced it has acquired Archer Technologies, provider of IT governance, risk and compliance (GRC) solutions.
The purchase answers to growing demand from customers who want help managing risk across their IT infrastructure, Hopkinton, Mass.-based EMC said in a statement.
Integrated solutions from the two vendors will allow users to automate visibility and policy enforcement across physical and virtual infrastructures. RSA, the security arm of EMC, currently offers data leakage prevention and security information and event management solutions.
"Traditional security management focuses primarily on addressing technology issues, but our customers are telling us that their real challenges are in the areas of policy management, audit and compliance," said Art Coviello, president of RSA. "You can't manage what you don't see."
Terms of the deal, expected to close in the first quarter of this year, were not disclosed. The transaction, though, is not expected to affect revenue for the full fiscal year.
Scott Crawford, managing research director of Enterprise Management Associates, said a growing number of businesses are using GRC solutions to track how well they are meeting management requirements, particularly compliance mandates.
"Organizations are looking for tools to help them manage a whole range of regulatory requirements they have to meet," he told SCMagazineUS.com on Monday. "It's been pretty onerous for a lot of organizations."
Jon Darbyshire, CEO of Overland Park, Kan.-based Archer, said the acquisition allows the company to leverage EMC's resources, such as its extensive sales and partner base, in addition to its international data centers for those customers deploying software as a service.
He also assured Archer's six million licensed users, many of whom are part of Fortune 100 companies, that Archer would remain similar to how it is being run today.
"Our community-driven approach to product innovation will be stronger than ever, and the relationships we share with our valued customers will not change," Darbyshire said. "You will continue to receive the same exceptional service you have come to expect from the Archer team – and you will see the same faces, receive the same communications and hear the same voices on the phone."
Crawford said Archer has "dominated" the GRC space, thanks to its flexible technology, though it remains to be seen how well the product will integrate with EMC.
