Trend Micro International  signed a definitive agreement to acquire HP TippingPoint, a leading provider of next-generation intrusion prevention systems (NGIPS) and related network security solutions.  The approximately $300 million agreement encompasses security technology, intellectual property, industry expertise, as well as a large, loyal enterprise customer base.  This acquisition positions Trend Micro as the go-to enterprise security provider of dynamic threat defence solutions spanning endpoints, network, data centre and the cloud.  Trend Micro will also combine current and acquired capabilities to create a Network Defence business unit, serving more than 3,500 enterprise customers.

Today’s “borderless” enterprises are barraged by increasingly complex threats, and organisations must be prepared to efficiently prevent, detect and respond to modern threats that circumvent traditional security.  This is compounded by the increase of targeted attacks and advanced threats that bypass traditional controls, leveraging internal networks to access and monetise sensitive data, communications and intellectual property.

“To face this problem, organisations need a layered threat defence working seamlessly across the enterprise to address threats before, during and after an attack,” said Eva Chen, CEO, Trend Micro.  “As an ideal complement to our market-leading protection for data centres and endpoints¹, this new next-generation network defence solution combines our best-in-class network breach detection system², with proven intrusion prevention and response capabilities from TippingPoint. Given our tenure with both HP and TippingPoint technology, we are excited about the agility of this acquisition and the value it will create for customers.”

By combining intrusion prevention and breach detection, Trend Micro is creating a multi-faceted approach to contain sophisticated attacks.  Should a compromise occur, the solution can swiftly detect and mitigate exploits within the network that could inflict further damage.

Since 2014, Trend Micro and TippingPoint have had a strategic partner relationship.  HP and Trend Micro will continue to be strong partners post transaction. The two companies will form a strategic partnership with TippingPoint around re-sale, managed services and OEM activities, as well as security intelligence, app security and data security.

“This acquisition complements Trend Micro’s current threat defence expertise, extending its strength in endpoint, cloud, data centre and breach detection to the network,” said Mike Spanbauer, vice president of research, NSS Labs. “By combining two strong brands, this move accelerates Trend Micro’s enterprise position into a non-competing segment, and provides a single, complete threat defence solution for enterprises seeking to make a critical security investment.”

In addition to proven network security, this agreement includes the threat insight and expertise of TippingPoint’s Digital Vaccine LABS (DVLABS), that provides real-time threat intelligence with innovative security filters to analyse vulnerabilities and exploits. Another benefit is the Zero Day Initiative, which has responsibly disclosed more zero-day vulnerabilities than all competitors combined through the diligence and expertise of an extensive community of researchers. This unique expertise and ability will work in concert with the expansive resources of the Trend Micro Smart Protection Network and threat research teams to help ensure market leading detection rates.

The deal is expected to be finalised by the end of the fourth quarter of 2015, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory review requirements.