WatchGuard To Buy Endpoint Protection Stalwart Panda Security

WatchGuard Technologies has agreed to purchase endpoint protection mainstay Panda Security to create a security platform that bridges the network and user perimeter.

The Seattle-based network security vendor said its proposed acquisition of Bilbao, Spain-based Panda Security will expand WatchGuard’s portfolio of user-centric threat detection and response products and services. The combined WatchGuard-Panda Security entity will provide central management of threat detection and response fueled by AI, behavior profiling techniques, and security event correlation.

“By bringing the companies together, we enable our current and future customers and partners to consolidate their fundamental security services under a single brand, backed by the innovation and quality that is a core part of both companies’ DNA,” said WatchGuard CEO Prakash Panjwani.

[Related: WatchGuard Buys Percipient Networks To Fortify Its Malware Protection Capabilities For SMBs]

Terms of the deal - which is expected to close in the second quarter of 2020 - weren’t disclosed, and WatchGuard didn’t immediately respond to a request for additional comment. Panda Security was founded in 1990, employs more than 600 people, and has over 30 million users across 180 countries, according to the company’s website.

“We are thrilled to merge with WatchGuard because of the new scale and portfolio access it provides to our customers and partners,” Panda Security CEO Juan Santamaria Uriarte said in a statement. “We are also excited to see our innovative product portfolio be delivered via WatchGuard’s strong global network of partners.”

Panda Security’s endpoint protection platform is powered by automated, AI-driven processes as well as security analyst-led investigation services, according to WatchGuard. The company was the first to offer a 100 percent attestation service, which WatchGuard said certifies the legitimacy and safety of all running applications.

More recently, WatchGuard said Panda Security launched a threat hunting service available for direct enterprise consumption as well as for managed security service providers (MSSPs) who resell Panda Security services. Panda Security is focused primarily on protecting people, devices, and the networks they connect to from malicious websites, malware, spam and other targeted attacks, the company said.

In the short-term, Panjwani said WatchGuard customers will get to enjoy the addition of endpoint detection and response, threat hunting, anti-virus, email security, patching and data compliance to the company’s line card. In the long run, Panjwani said customers and partners will additionally benefit from the tight integration of Panda Security’s portfolio into the core WatchGuard offering.

The proposed Panda Security deal would be WatchGuard’s fourth acquisition in the past half-decade. WatchGuard also purchased: Domain Name System service provider Percipient Networks in January 2018; authentication provider Datablink in July 2017; and threat detection and response provider HawkEye G in June 2016 for a reported $3 million.

Following these acquisitions, WatchGuard in April 2019 expanded its partner program beyond network security, enabling solution providers focused on Wi-Fi or multifactor authentication to qualify for financial incentives. Specifically, partners with sales and technical certifications around the company's Wi-Fi or multifactor authentication are now eligible for front-end and deal registration discounts.