Cisco Systems said it plans to acquire Lancope, a privately held, Alpharetta-based network security company for $452.5 million.
The deal, which includes cash, assumed equity awards, and additional retention-based incentives for Lancope employees who join Cisco, is expected to close in the second quarter of Cisco’s 2016 fiscal year, pending regulatory review, Cisco said.
Lancope, which provides network behavior analytics, threat visibility and security intelligence to help protect companies against cyber security threats, is a 2003 Signature graduate company of the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC).
It was was founded by John A. Copeland, a professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Cisco’s interest in Lancope comes as cyber criminals ramp up their efforts to breach companies’ networks through connected devices. Lancope’s signature StealthWatch System is already included in many of Cisco’s Security Solutions to fight cyber-threats.
“As enterprises digitize, security challenges rapidly evolve. Real time visibility and understanding of the behavior of every machine or device on the network becomes critical in adapting the ability of enterprises to identify and respond to the next wave of cyber threats,” said Cisco Corporate Development Vice President Rob Salvagno in a statement. “Cisco is committed to helping organizations defend their networks and devices. Together with Lancope, our combined solutions can help turn a customer’s entire network into a security sensor.”
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