McAfee acquires Stonesoft in $389m deal

Intel-owned anti-virus software vendor adds firewall technology to its portfolio

Intel-owned security software vendor McAfee is to acquire Finnish firewall software maker Stonesoft in a $389m (£250m) cash deal.

The deal, subject to the agreement of Helsinki Stock Exchange-listed Stonesoft's shareholders, will add a company with more than 6,500 customers worldwide, many of which are in military and high-end markets.

Stonesoft, which describes itself as a maker of "next generation" firewall software, also makes "evasion prevention" systems, and SSL virtual private networking (VPN) solutions for organisations of all sizes.

According to McAfee, the rationale for the proposed acquisition is as follows:

• Network security is a vital component of a comprehensive security system and next-generation firewall technology is one of the fastest-growing segments in the network security market;
• Stonesoft is classified by Gartner as a "visionary" in its 2013 Network Security Firewall Magic Quadrant, and Stonesoft achieved "recommended" status in NSS Labs' latest 2013 firewall tests;
• The acquisition will add a third main platform to McAfee's network security portfolio: McAfee's IPS [intrusion prevention system] Network Security Platform, McAfee's Firewall Enterprise for the mainstream firewall software market, and Stonesoft's next-generation firewall at the high-end.

"The combination of the two companies allows Stonesoft to benefit from McAfee's global presence and sales organisation of over 2,200 employees, best-in-class threat research and technology synergies" said Stonesoft CEO Ilkka Hiidenheimo.