McAfee acquires cloud security startup Skyhigh Networks, last valued at $400M

After spinning out as a standalone security business from Intel earlier this year, #McAfee has made its first acquisition. The company has acquired #SkyhighNetworks, a specialist in cloud security, the companies announced today. The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but here are a few data points: @Skyhigh had raised over $106 million in funding, according to @Crunchbase, most recently a Series D round a year ago, with its investors including @Sequoia, @Greylock and @Salesforce. @PitchBook, meanwhile, puts its most recent funding round at $400 million, one marker for the potential value of this deal. The deal is a sign of the ongoing trend for consolidation in the security industry, where smaller players are coming together under larger businesses to provide more security services under one roof. This makes sense on a couple of levels. For one, the issue of cybersecurity has become one of the most persistent in the market today, with malicious hacking a nightmare not just for businesses but individuals as more and more of our personal and not-so-personal information becoming digitised and moving to the cloud, putting it in the reach of both criminals and destructive pranksters. In the case of Skyhigh, McAfee — whose legacy business is in endpoint security — is specifically acquiring the company for that cloud expertise. Skyhigh CEO Rajiv Gupta will head McAfee’s cloud business unit. The other is the nature of how security services is evolving: we’re seeing a big shift to the use of data analytics and machine learning and other kinds of AI to be able to identify, track and stop cybercrime. Bringing together different services that can use and improve the bigger data pool makes all of those services stronger, potentially. “Skyhigh Networks had the foresight five years ago to realize that cybersecurity for cloud environments could not be an impediment to, or afterthought of, cloud adoption,” Chris Young, CEO of McAfee, said in a statement. “They pioneered an entirely new product category called cloud access security broker (CASB) that analysts describe as one of the fastest growing areas of information security investments of the last five years – where Skyhigh continues to innovate and lead. Skyhigh’s leadership in cloud security, combined with McAfee’s security portfolio strength, will set the company apart in helping organizations operate freely and securely to reach their full potential.” It’s not clear if Skyhigh was profitable, and where it stood on its funding, but this will be coupled with more investment into its business by McAfee, which was valued at $4.2 billion at the time of its spinout from Intel in April. “Becoming part of McAfee is the ideal next step in realizing Skyhigh Networks’ vision of not simply making the cloud secure, but making it the most secure environment for business,” Gupta said in a statement. “McAfee will provide global scale to further accelerate Skyhigh’s growth, with the combined company providing leading technologies and solutions across cloud and endpoint security – categories Skyhigh and McAfee respectively helped create, and the two architectural control points for enterprise security.” Skyhigh Networks already has produces in the areas of SaaS, PaaS and IaaS and a range of cloud-based security services around policy control both for apps in the cloud and on premises. We should expect to see more of that now being marketed to McAfee’s current roster of customers. The deal is expected to close pending regulatory approvals and other closing conditions.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/techcrunch.com/2017/11/27/mcafee-skyhigh-networks/amp/#ampshare=https://techcrunch.com/2017/11/27/mcafee-skyhigh-networks/

Arrow’s Vimal Kocher highlights Dell EMC association

At the 37th edition of @GITEXTechnology Week, @Arrow ECS was emphasising on its main two product sets – modern data centre and security solutions. The regional value-added distributor continued to highlight its association with @DellEMC within the #moderndatacentre arena. Earlier in the year, the vendor had named Arrow as one of its key global distribution partners. Vimal Kocher, managing director, Arrow ECS, says, “We sell most of Dell EMC’s products on the enterprise side. In our security portfolio, we have names such as @RSA, @Forcepoint, @McAfee and @CheckPoint.” The managing director adds that the partnership with Dell EMC will help the firm to grow its business dramatically. “We will be working on Dell EMC’s #hyperconverged and #convergedinfrastructures, storage, software and services offering. This will give us a complete product range on the data centre offering. Going forward, our focus will be to enable our existing partner ecosystem and find new ones, especially in the Gulf countries. We are already conducting regular enablement events for resellers in these markets.” In the evolving technology landscape, CIOs and other IT professionals are under immense pressure to reduce costs and optimise business processes. Kocher adds, “The move to the digital era is compelling customers to have new kinds of requirements. Understanding the nuances of the market, we will be introducing many more solutions within our security portfolio in 2018. Currently, we are already in discussions with security vendors to complete and enhance our security portfolio.”

https://www.tahawultech.com/features/arrows-vimal-kocher-highlights-dell-emc-association/

Dell, McAfee, Microsoft Named Leaders in Encryption Software

The global encryption software market is expected to more than triple in size by 2022, reaching nearly $13 billion. That’s according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets, which predicts a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27.4 percent. The market is $3.87 billion today. @DellTechnologies  , @McAfee, @Microsoft and @IBM are listed among the major vendors in this market. Others include @Symantec, @Sophos, @TrendMicro, @Thales e-Security, @Gemalto, @PKWARE, @CipherCloud and @ESET. Market drivers include stringent government regulations and the need to protect critical organizational data. With increasing demand for cloud and virtualization across different verticals, the adoption rate among enterprises is expected to gain major traction in the next five years. Disk encryption is expected to hold the largest market share. Employees have the freedom to carry their own devices, and the exchange of critical data is made possible on those devices; therefore, the adoption of strong encryption can protect the confidential data, even if the device is lost or stolen, according to MarketsandMarkets. Among verticals, telecom and IT is expected to grow the fastest during the forecast period. This vertical is a key target for hackers, due to the massive and increasing amount of personal data being managed on cell phones, satellites and the internet. Among regions, North America is expected to hold the largest market share by 2022, as businesses are more focused on securing data at rest, in transit and in use. In addition, they have made big investments in advanced technologies to gain a competitive advantage and improve business operations. Asia Pacific (APAC) is expected to grow the fastest. The increasing adoption of encryption software in this region is due to the widespread presence of SMEs that are implementing enhanced encryption to prevent unauthorized access to critical business data residing on enterprise networks and databases — and the unethical use of such information. The global cloud encryption market is expected to quadruple from $645.4 million this year to $2.4 billion by 2022.

http://www.channelpartnersonline.com/2017/10/12/dell-mcafee-microsoft-named-leaders-in-encryption-software/

Global Market for Professional Cloud Services (2017-2022): Key Players are Google, IBM, HP, Adobe, Accenture, Cloudera, SAP, TCS, Cisco & Intel - Research and Markets

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Global Market for Professional Cloud Services - By Deployment , Industry, Countries, Trends, Forecast- 2017 - 2022" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering. “Global Market for Professional Cloud Services - By Deployment , Industry, Countries, Trends, Forecast- 2017 - 2022” Tweet this The Global Supply Chain Big Data Analytics Market is valued at USD 3.9 billion in 2016 and is expected to reach a value of USD 20.3 billion by the end of 2022, growing at a projected CAGR of 24.6% during the forecast period of 2017-2022. Generally, when a company gets accustomed to one type of supply chain which it has been using for some years, it is hard for it to change. This may have been the case in earlier times when big data was not being used by the other companies, but now every vendor must have a flexible supply chain which keeps changing according to the demands of the consumers and the suppliers. Many companies who have tried to remain rigid on their model of supply chain have earned heavy losses. These companies have either changed their model or closed down or acquired by another company. This huge market is growing because of the increased usage by lot of companies. Companies which heavily depend on supply chain like Wal-Mart, Zara, Google, eBay etc. use big data to regularly improve their supply chain. E-commerce giants like Amazon stores customers' information and preferences which creates huge amount of data. This helps the site to be personalized according to the user, have the regular items user searches for or get related products when the user is looking at a product. It also helps them to improve their warehouse storage, inventory management and transportation of goods. The market for big data analytics in supply chains is increasing at a fast pace with more and more companies using this to improve their supply chain. Companies Mentioned: #HP #IBM #Veracode #WhiteHatSecurity #McAfee  ( #IntelSecurity) #CiscoSystems, Inc. #CoreSecurityTechnologies #iViZTechnologySolutionPvt. #OffensiveSecurity #ApplauseAppQualityInc. #AccenturePLC #ControlCaseLLC #PaladionNetworks #MavericSystems #Netcraft #Synerzip

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170904005247/en/Global-Market-Professional-Cloud-Services-2017-2022-Key

McAfee Announces Advanced Security for Amazon Web Services

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- #McAfee today announced a limited time free trial to “test drive” McAfee® #VirtualNetworkSecurityPlatform (McAfee® #vNSP ) on #AmazonWebServices ( #AWS ) for a hands-on experience running advanced security in the public cloud. Unlike other solutions, McAfee vNSP protects at the workload level, eliminating the single point of failure created by other solutions for a whole network segment. As part of the test drive, participants can simulate real-world attack use cases, configure policy and review reporting dashboards. Attendees at the AWS Summit New York can view a demo of the McAfee vNSP test drive at booth 437 in the Javits Center.

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170813005018/en/McAfee-Announces-Advanced-Security-Amazon-Web-Services

Can Dell change endpoint security?

Endpoint security is changing dramatically. It’s becoming clear that simply doing anti-malware the way it’s always been done with an add-on software program that scans for threats through signature comparisons as files are opened is not enough. The two major traditional AV companies, #Symantec and #McAfee, who championed this approach for many years, now have competition from next generation players like #Cylance, who use predictive machine learning and #AI approaches to evaluating and discovering new malware not easily detected through signature-only approaches. And processor suppliers like #Intel, #ARM, #Qualcomm, etc. are getting into the act, designing-in trusted segments of their chips intended to become impenetrable vaults for protected execution of critical parts of the OS and apps. With newer sophisticated malware attacks, security must move beyond an outdated add-on only approach and into a multilayered approach that includes hardware, OS, layered software and network awareness. The major PC endpoint providers believe that security can be a competitive differentiation for selling their products, particularly to business users. But can they do a better job than just shipping add-on AV software? Enhanced security as a selling point has been tried with marginal success before, but current players may have reached an inflection point for enterprise customers. A leading example of this is Dell, which claims to have a superior next generation AV and end point security solution, and has established a security group chartered to fulfill its vision of what security for new age threats should be.

http://www.computerworld.com/article/3200547/windows-pcs/can-dell-change-endpoint-security.html

Intel Sells Majority Stake in McAfee Security Unit to TPG

SAN FRANCISCO —  #McAfee, once one of the household names in computer security software, is poised to become an independent business once more.

#Intel, which bought McAfee for $7.7 billion six years ago, said on Wednesday that it had sold a majority stake in its cybersecurity business to the investment firm #TPG, in a transaction valuing the security provider at approximately $4.2 billion, including debt.

The move will bring McAfee independence at a time when cybersecurity businesses have grown more prominent amid seemingly omnipresent hacking threats. And its sale illustrates how much both the technology industry and Intel have changed since Intel purchased the company in 2010.

Then, much of computer security was centered on protecting personal computers hard wired to corporate and personal networks. The explosion of smartphones, tablets and laptops, all wirelessly connected to cloud computing systems, has changed the industry. PC sales have shrunk for five years, too, changing Intel’s business plans.

In a world where many programs share information, it is harder at times to say where some software resides, or with what it is interacting. Individual virus scans like the kind that McAfee traditionally sold might be useful, but they are not always sufficient. Nor are firewalls, which may protect some of a corporation but cannot create an adequate defense.

Following industry trends, Intel Security last year announced plans to refocus on cloud network security as well as ways to identify and analyze potential threats through sophisticated software, which the business said would let it respond to problems sooner and faster. It also expanded its focus to protection for mobile devices, as well as PCs.

Intel, reeling from the PC collapse, has struggled to build up a business in chips for cloud-type data centers. This has made McAfee, along with other software assets that Intel acquired under its previous leadership, less attractive to current management.

Sales from the security business rose 11 percent during the first half of this year from the same time last year, to $1.1 billion.

Under the terms of the deal, McAfee will borrow money to pay an approximately $2 billion dividend to Intel, which will retain a 49 percent stake in the business. TPG will pay $1.1 billion in cash for a 51 percent stake.

The business, currently called Intel Security, will again adopt the McAfee name when the deal closes, which is expected in the second quarter of 2017.

TPG as a company has long expressed interest in cybersecurity applications, having already invested in two start-ups through its growth equity arm.

Ten months ago, however, its flagship private equity division approached Intel about potentially spinning out the cybersecurity business.

“We have long identified the cybersecurity sector, which has experienced strong growth due to the increasing volume and severity of cyberattacks, as one of the most important areas in technology,” Bryan Taylor, the TPG partner who led the investment, said in a statement.

“Given McAfee’s leading global market position, loyal customer base, and trusted technology, we see a compelling opportunity to invest in a highly-strategic platform that is growing consistently and addressing significant and evolving market demand,” he continued.

For Intel, selling a majority stake in McAfee would free the Silicon Valley giant to spend more time on core areas while still retaining a foothold in the cybersecurity world.

“Security remains important in everything we do at Intel and going forward we will continue to integrate industry-leading security and privacy capabilities in our products from the cloud to billions of smart, connected computing devices,” Brian Krzanich, Intel’s chief executive, said in a statement.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/09/08/business/dealbook/intel-sells-a-majority-stake-of-cybersecurity-unit-mcafee-to-tpg.html?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWWpJeFkyUmxNMkpsWlRBMyIsInQiOiJSWU1na05JbmxOQTg5ZEpweHZ0Wk1pMEhpSUhmWFwvSWRDNGxZcU9QbDJUSVozcEdJZ2xOdTJIdmZIYWVWdytcL3hGb3VrUW5EVXFnMnl2emVyZ2pZMlh0OGtCeGZ0ejZyNHhOZGxydDhWbnpRPSJ9&_r=0&referer=http://mkto-sj030206.com/p0400H0eDN0r08dFzA0RXq3

First Dell, now Intel, as rumours emerge of potential security sell-off

@Intel has become the second IT vendor giant inside a week to be linked with a potential sale of its security arm, a prospect some of its partners have welcomed.

Following #Dell 's decision to sell #SonicWall and #Quest last week, the FT reported yesterday that Intel is weighing up options for its #Intel Security arm six years after buying #McAfee for $7.7bn (£5.8bn).

http://www.channelweb.co.uk/crn-uk/news/2462916/first-dell-now-intel-as-rumours-emerge-of-potential-security-sell-off

New Dell partnership casts doubt on traditional antivirus programs

A partnership announced by #Dell on Tuesday shows how #cybersecurity defenses are evolving, which could have wide-ranging effects on vendors like #Symantec, #McAfee and #TrendMicro.

The PC giant has partnered with #Cylance, an Irvine, California-based company that specializes in detecting and blocking attacks on endpoint computers.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/3005677/business-security/new-dell-partnership-throws-doubt-on-traditional-antivirus-programs.html