Akamai has announced that it plans to acquire cloud-based security vendor Prolexic for $370 million (£226 million).
Adding cloud-based security solutions for protecting data centres and enterprise IP applications from distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, the acquisition will see Akamai add these services to its web optimisation and security offerings once the definitive agreement is signed.
Akamai said that upon completion, it will be able to provide users with a portfolio of security solutions designed to defend an enterprise’s web and IP infrastructure against application-layer, network-layer and data centre attacks delivered via the internet. Akamai currently is a provider of cloud services for the delivery, optimisation and securing of online content and business applications.
Tom Leighton, CEO of Akamai, said: “Any company doing business on the internet faces an evolving threat landscape of attacks aimed at disrupting operations, defacing the brand, or attempting to steal sensitive data and information.
“By joining forces with Prolexic, we intend to combine Akamai’s leading security and performance platform with Prolexic’s highly-regarded DDoS mitigation solutions for data center and enterprise applications protection. We believe that Prolexic’s solutions and team will help us achieve our goal of making the internet fast, reliable, and secure.”
Scott Hammack, CEO at Prolexic, said: “Today, business is defined by the availability, security and latency of Internet-facing applications, data and infrastructure.
“Being able to rely on one provider for internet performance and security greatly simplifies resolution of network availability issues and offers clients clear lines of accountability. We believe that, together, we will be able to deliver an unprecedented level of network visibility and protection.”
