Masergy has reached a deal to acquire Global DataGuard, a move that will enhance its growing cloud services portfolio with additional managed security capabilities.
Terms of the deal were not revealed.
Through this acquisition, Masergy has added enterprise security solutions with Unified Enterprise Security and Professional Services to its Security-as-a-Service suite.
One of the key elements that it gets from Global DataGuard is patented network behavioral analysis that can be overlaid with existing firewalls and intrusion detection/prevention systems. By combining this with Global DataGuard's 24X7 human monitoring capabilities, the security service can identify and predict new attacks.
Among the many new services that the Unified Enterprise Security suite will enable Masergy to deliver to its customers are vulnerability management, intrusion detection/prevention managed firewall and intelligent Internet management.
"We really listened to them several years ago solve the issue around UCaaS that now operates in nine countries," said John Dumbleton, Senior Vice President, Business Development for Masergy, in an interview with FierceTelecom. "Honestly, on the security side prior to this acquisition we had managed firewalls on premise, deployed a service in the cloud called Intelligent Internet Management, but when you look at those two solutions they were largely perimeter based solutions."
Dumbleton added that by taking the technology "that these guys have developed over 13 years with their security control center is the right combination to deliver a security solution to our enterprise clients."
Complementing these services are Masergy's suite of professional services such as security audits, forensic audits, compliance testing, penetration testing, vulnerability assessments and risk management.
"As it relates to this whole vision of what can you virtualize and make it easy for the client is a huge focus for us," Dumbleton said. "The second focus is we believe that a lot of that, both from a cloud perspective and a more traditional perspective is how do you deliver a true managed eservice and really become an extension of the IT staff within these enterprises."
Enhancing its cloud-based service portfolio organically and through targeted acquisitions continues to be a common trend at Masergy. Besides DataGuard, it purchased Broadcore Communications in 2012, which gave it a set of cloud-based unified communications services including call center, SIP trunking and custom integration capabilities to serve its large multinational corporation (MNC) customers.
By bolstering its managed security play with Global DataGuard's technology, Masergy can increase the value for existing and new enterprise customers that are looking for an alternative player to outsource these functions to a third-party.
For more:
- see the release
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Updated article on April 16 with direct quotes from John Dumbleton, Senior Vice President, Business Development for Masergy.