Trend Micro Acquires TippingPoint Security Unit from HP

How to Prepare for the Ever-Changing Evolution of Malware

In advance of the breakup of Hewlett-Packard that is scheduled to go into effect in a little over a week, Trend Micro revealed today that it has acquired the TippingPoint security business unit from HP.

Trend Micro COO Wael Mohamed says the acquisition comes after years of collaboration and joint product development between the two companies. By acquiring TippingPoint, Mohamed says that Trend Micro is now venturing into the realm of network security as a complement to its existing endpoint and data center security offerings.

Valued at $300 million, Mohamed says Trend Micro had previously preferred to partner with providers of network security technologies. But with the rise of cloud computing, he says it has become apparent that IT organizations are increasingly looking for a more holistic approach to IT security that spans the entire IT environment.

Trend Micro reports that it will now create a dedicated Network Defense business unit that will serve some 3,600 enterprise customers. As part of the terms of the deal, HP Enterprise Services will continue to sell managed security services based on technologies developed by both Trend Micro and the TippingPoint unit of HP.

Mohamed notes that at this point, IT security is being embedded within almost every service a business cares to create today. The challenge is finding ways to cost-effectively deliver IT security services to secure those processes at a level of scale that can counter hackers that are not only well organized, but have also substantially reduced the cost of launching their attacks. Accomplishing that goal, says Mohamed, will require increased reliance on integrated security services by vendors with pockets that are deep enough to not only build those security services, but also find and train the people required to operate them on a global scale.