Symantec Ups Online Services With MessageLabs Acquisition

Symantec Corp. has announced it’s signed an agreement to acquire MessageLabs, a leading provider of online messaging and Web security services. The purchase price is $154 million (U.S.). The deal is expected to close by the end of the year.

Symantec says the acquisition means it will gain a leadership position in the rapidly growing Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) segment. MessageLabs claims to be the top provider of online messaging security worldwide with more than eight million end users at 19,000 clients ranging from small businesses to the Fortune 500. Symantec will capitalize on cross-selling and up-selling its existing SaaS offerings of backup, storage and online remote access into the MessageLabs customer base. And future SaaS offerings, leveraging Symantec technology in data loss prevention, compliance, endpoint security and archiving, will be enhanced by MessageLabs’ expertise in SaaS sales, operations and support.

“MessageLabs extends our investments in the Software-as-a Service segment and will allow us to offer our customers unprecedented choice from a single provider of message security solutions,” said John W. Thompson, chairman and chief executive officer, Symantec. “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, chief executive officer, MessageLabs. “MessageLabs’ services help ensure that only safe and appropriate information enters and leaves the organization. Together, with Symantec, we can set a roadmap for the future of online services.”

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