ISS Acquires Content Security Vendor Cobion

To bolster its antispam offering, Internet Security Systems (ISS) has acquired content security vendor Cobion AG for $32.9 million. <P> Munich, Germany-based Cobion, which has U.S. headquarters in Boston, offers content-filtering and antispam technology. ISS said it acquired the privately held company for its intelligent content-analysis technology, spam and Web content-filtering databases, and research infrastructure. <P> "ISS is now in the content security market with a product that automatically blocks Web content and spam like no other product available today," Tom Noonan, chairman, president and CEO of ISS, said in a statement. "The Cobion acquisition completes our Proventia all-in-one protection product family with technology that matches the reputation and uncompromising quality ISS is known for." <P> ISS plans to incorporate Cobion's technology into its Proventia line of Internet security appliances. The company aims to add content security to the Proventia M line next quarter. Its content security appliance, Proventia C, also is slated for a second-quarter release.