Websense to buy SurfControl

The security firm hopes the acquisition will help it attract more custom from small businesses

Security firm Websense has announced plans to acquire web and email filtering specialist SurfControl for around $400m.

The purchase of SurfControl, which has 600 employees and 25,000 customers worldwide, is designed to help Websense compete more effectively with large security vendors, and also target the small business market.

“We are especially excited about having SurfControl’s BlackSpider on-demand content security solution available to our global customer base,” said Websense chief executive Gene Hodges.

Websense added that the deal would provide it with an opportunity to sell its web security and information leak prevention products into the SurfControl customer base.

The vendor also gave reassurances over the future of the acquired product line. Hodges said that Websense planned to implement a customer satisfaction and retention programme, and was committed to supporting SurfControl’s layered security solutions until at least the end of 2010. The acquired products will also be improved based on data from the two vendors’ merged research databases, he added.

The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in the US and the UK.