Recently, rumors about Microsoft planning on acquiring a third Israeli web security firm have been making rounds on the Internet. On Nov. 9, the Redmond tech firm has confirmed these rumors to be true, picking up Secure Islands to make its Azure Cloud Services all the safer.
Secure Islands has been keeping data of big companies such as UBS, Vodafone and Credit Suisse safe, and Microsoft has its eyes set on the security technology that the Israeli firm uses. With the deal, data across Microsoft services such as the Office 365 and the aforementioned Azure Cloud Services will be more secure.
With all the high-profile security issues that have been popping up lately, it's fairly obvious why going all out for security measures is essential. Data travels across multiple devices and goes beyond a corporate's network. These are, of course, essential for organizations to operate, but they come with risks.
"These realities make it more critical than ever to have solutions that prevent data loss and track information regardless of where it resides," Microsoft says in a blog post, officially announcing the acquisition.
This development follows up on Microsoft's acquisition of the startup Aorato for $200 million last year and Adallom for $300 million in September, where both of these firms are focused on cloud security. Although the financial details with Secure Islands were not disclosed, rumors suggest that the amount is between $77 million and $150 million.
With security products designed for Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft SharePoint, it's no mystery why Microsoft wanted to carry out the deal with Secure Islands. Simply put, the data protection that the Azure Rights Management Service currently offers will be significantly boosted with the integration of Secure Islands' technology.
Of course, Microsoft isn't the only one that's ecstatic about the matter.
"Microsoft has been a long time partner and its leadership in enterprise IT, its resources and global reach will help us innovate and deliver new information protection capabilities to both our current and new customer base," Aki Eldar, CEO of Secure Islands, writes in a blog post.
It seems that Microsoft isn't holding back when it comes to security, and with Secure Islands on board, users can expect better data protection.
Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns | Flickr
