Content

Check Point picks up NFR Security for $20 million

Check Point Software Technologies announced today that it signed a definitive agreement to acquire the intrusion prevention company NFR Security for $20 million.

The pick-up will finally give Check Point a stake in the intrusion prevention market nearly nine months after the federal government impeded a bid by the Israeli company to purchase Columbia, Md.-based Sourcefire.

The $225 million deal was thrown into standstill in March when the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States raised objections about a foreign company taking control over Sourcefire's intrusion prevention technology, which is run by numerous agencies responsible for national security.

Today's acquisition is part of a new effort by Check Point to expand its security technology portfolio.

"This acquisition is an important step in Check Point's leadership strategy to continuously raise the level of security available to enterprises for protecting their mission-critical networks. It is part of our focus on two primary layers: network security as our core platform and our recently announced expansion into data security," said Gil Shwed, founder and CEO of Check Point. "We will integrate NFR's technologies into our unified security architecture to provide the industry's broadest and best managed security solutions."

In addition to the NFR announcement, Check Point said today that it was amending its tendered offer to Protect Data AB for its acquisition. Check Point initially announced the offer to buy Protect Data, owner of Pointsec Mobile Technologies, on Nov. 20. Today Check Point increased its offer from $586 million to $625 million in order to satisfy all of Protect Data's shareholders. That deal is expected to close Jan. 16.

Get daily email updates

SC Media's daily must-read of the most current and pressing daily news

By clicking the Subscribe button below, you agree to SC Media Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.