F5 Networks buys Versafe to boost security offerings

F5 Networks has announced the acquisition of Israeli security firm Versafe in a move to boost the protection it can offer customers. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The firm said making the acquisition would help it bring even greater protection to its customers by ensuring that it is even more secure to access data, applications and manage security credentials over its network.
F5 chief technology officer Karl Triebes said this was vital as security threats facing businesses continue to evolve.
“Web applications are under increasing attack, which can lead to the theft of intellectual property, money, sensitive data and identity,” he said. “Versafe provides comprehensive, real-time detection and protection for every user, every device and every browser.”
The firm said some of the benefits of the deal would include improving the protection of its Application Delivery Firewall product to defend against fraud, phishing and malware attacks, and to improve protection of user credentials in its Identity and Access Management service.
The two firms had already been working closely together under F5’s Technology Alliance Partner programme and co-founder of Versafe Eyal Gruner said the deal would help the firm increase its expertise now it was part of the F5 fold.
“Businesses with mission-critical and sensitive web operations need a trusted advisor for security and one with a deep understanding of cybercrime,” he said.
“Together, F5 and Versafe plan to provide this support and deliver immediate protection against fraud, phishing, pharming, man-in-the-middle and malware threats.”
The deal is the latest acquisition by a network firm looking to boost its security offerings, after Cisco announced plans to pay a whopping $2.7bn for Sourcefire earlier this year.