The Hague, 09 Oct 2008
Symantec will acquire online messaging and Web security services company MessageLabs for approximately $695 million in cash, subject to regulatory approvals, by the end of this year.
MessageLabs is the number one provider of online messaging security worldwide, with more than eight million end-users, and more than 19 000 clients, ranging from small business to Fortune 500 companies.
Symantec will capitalise on cross-selling and up-selling its existing software as a service (SaaS) offerings of backup, storage and online remote access into MessageLabs' customer base.
Chairman and CEO John Thompson, who is currently attending Symantec's Vision and ManageFusion annual summit, in The Hague, said the purchase extends the company's investments in SaaS.
Speaking to US analysts via satellite and to media attending the conference, Thompson said Symantec would not change the distribution and go to market models of MessageLabs.
"We will be able offer our customers unprecedented choice from a single provider of message security solutions,” said Thompson. “By combining MessageLabs with our Symantec Protection Network team, we have one of the strongest portfolios of cloud-based infrastructure services and a great foundation on which to grow.”
“Symantec and MessageLabs have a common belief in the benefits of in-the-cloud services and how they enable customers to be protected from threats and enforce policy,” said Adrian Chamberlain, CEO of MessageLabs.
“MessageLabs' services help ensure that only safe and appropriate information enters and leaves the organisation. Together with Symantec, we can set a roadmap for the future of online services.”
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