Cisco Bolsters Security Services Play with Cybertrust Buy

Cisco Systems Tuesday took steps to expand its security portfolio with the planned acquisition of security intelligence services assets from Cybertrust.

In a deal valued at $14 million, Cisco plans to purchase assets, intellectual property, customer contracts and other components of Cybertrust’s Intellishield Alert Manager, a service that provides daily threat and vulnerability alerts to customers.

As part of Cisco’s Self-Defending Network strategy, the company plans to resell the service through its security-specialized channel partners. Upon close of the transaction, expected by the end of January, the Intellishield Alert Manager team will become part of Cisco’s Customer Advocacy service organization under the Technical Support Services group led by Senior Vice President Joe Pinto, according to a statement from the San Jose, Calif.-based vendor.

Herndon, Va.-based Cybertrust was formed a year ago via the merger of two security services players, TruSecure and Betrusted Holdings. The company last month named former Hewlett-Packard Chairman and CEO Carly Fiorina to its board of directors.

Cisco has made a spate of security-related acquisitions over the past few years, including VPN vendor M.I. Secure earlier this year. Shares of Cisco closed up 3 cents at $17.51 Tuesday prior to the announcement.