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EMC Acquires Authentica

EMC has snapped up privately held security software specialist Authentica Inc.for an undisclosed fee as the vendor adds flesh to the bones of its Documentum product line.

The move is part of a long-running EMC effort to expand its software presence. (See EMC Swings Into Software Big Leagues and EMC Earnings Credit ILM Uptick.) And it continues a large-scale project to beef up data and document management, begun last year as EMC stumped up over $500 million to get its paws on Captiva, Smarts, and Acartus. (See EMC to Acquire Captiva , EMC Captures Captiva, EMC Gets Smarts, and EMC Acquires Acartus .)

But the Authentica deal also signifies a new focus on external storage security. Whereas Captiva targets ILM and Acartus archives large volumes of content, Authentica offers software for securing email documents and data on mobile devices.

Authentica, which was founded in 1999, has already racked up a slew of high-profile customers, particularly in the U.S government. These include the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Treasury. In the enterprise space, Authentica has also clinched deals with the Ford Motor Company and TRW Automotive.

By tying Authentica and Documentum together, EMC hopes to add an additional layer of security to users' documents. An EMC spokesman tells Byte and Switch that the startup's software will let Documentum users apply rights management policies to content, both inside and outside corporate firewalls.

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