Cisco To Buy SaaS Web Security Specialist ScanSafe

Cisco's streak of snapping up niche companies will go unbroken for another week. The networking titan on Tuesday said it would buy ScanSafe, a provider of Software-as-a-Service-based Web security products. According to Cisco, the deal is for $183 million in cash and retention-based incentives and is expected to close by early 2010.

"With the acquisition of ScanSafe, Cisco is executing on our vision to build a borderless network security architecture that combines network and cloud-based services for advanced security enforcement," said Tom Gillis, vice president and general manager of Cisco's Security Technology Business Unit (STBU), in a statement. "Cisco will provide customers the flexibility to choose the deployment model that best suits their organization and deliver anytime, anywhere protection against Web-based threats."

ScanSafe, a privately held company founded in 2004 and based in San Francisco, makes SaaS-based products for enterprise and small-business Web security needs and has a global network of carrier-grade data centers.

According to Cisco, ScanSafe's SaaS products will become part of Cisco's AnyConnect VPNClient, and Cisco plans to use both the data centers and ScanSafe's multitenant architecture to further build out its own portfolio of cloud-based security products.

ScanSafe's management team will become part of the Cisco STBU and report in to Gillis, the companies confirmed.

"ScanSafe pioneered the market for SaaS Web security and continues as a leader in this rapidly growing market," said ScanSafe CEO Eldar Tuvey in a statement. "At a time when enterprises are increasingly focused on a flexible and mobile workplace, the need for hybrid-hosted Web security solutions is greater than ever. By joining the Cisco team we will be able to offer even better and more flexible protection to our customers."

ScanSafe is the third Cisco acquisition in almost as many weeks, part of a buying spree that makes ScanSafe the latest in a series of notable acquisitions.

Last week, Cisco announced plans to buy mobile infrastructure specialist Starent Networks. Earlier this month, Cisco bolstered its video portfolio with a grab of videoconferencing market-share leader Tandberg.