Symantec Strolls Off With Sygate

Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) is continuing its M&A tear, snapping up hot startup Sygate Technologies Inc. for an undisclosed sum (see Symantec to Acquire Sygate).

The security giant, which completed its $13.5 billion deal for Veritas Software Corp. (Nasdaq: VRTS) only a few weeks ago, has now ended months of speculation about Sygates future (see Symantec, Veritas Complete Merger).

Industry observers have long cited Sygate as great acquisition bait, with Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) and Juniper Networks Inc. (Nasdaq: JNPR) suggested as possible predators (see Could Sygate Get Snapped Up?).

Sygate is one of a handful of vendors offering a technology called Network Admission Control (NAC). Essentially, this is software that enforces security policies across a range of devices, such as firewalls and switches. The technology can also coordinate anti-virus, spyware, and denial-of-service products from a number of vendors. NAC is hot news at the moment because users are struggling to coordinate a plethora of existing security products (see IT Managers Sweat Security and Chambers Shouts About Security).

Jon Brody, Sygate’s vice president of marketing, tells NDCF that the majority of Sygate’s staff will be moving over to Symantec, although he confirms that there will be a small number of redundancies in areas such as finance. “This is an acquisition of people and expertise as much as it is technology,” he says.