Trend Micro builds up its Mobile Armor

Acquisition

Trend Micro has entered into a definitive agreement to buy Mobile Armor for an undisclosed sum.

The US data protection company focuses on securing a range of mobile devices, from smartphones to laptops, and will help Trend Micro increase its play in the market.

"Mobile Armor brings device level and file and folder level encryption technologies to Trend Micro which will complement our existing endpoint and mobile security offerings," Rik Ferguson, senior security advisor at Trend Micro, told IT PRO.

It will also have its part to play in Trend Micro's cloud computing strategy going forward, with the increased need for remote access that comes from cloud technologies.

"As data and individuals become more mobile and dissipated, information is regularly accessed on portable devices which is often held in cloud based storage," added Ferguson. "If the cloud is secured but the endpoint left unprotected, then your security is not complete."

"We as corporate entities have responsibility for our data and we need tools that we can effectively manage and configure to help us deliver on that responsibility."

The deal is expected to close before the end of the year, if all the regulatory approvals go smoothly.

Despite a year of economic strife, acquisitions have been hitting the headlines regularly in 2010 as companies sought to buy in technologies rather than spending on their own research and development.

However, Ferguson assured IT PRO this was not the direction Trend Micro was taking.

"Trend has a long history of ground-breaking innovation and we fully intend to continue," he concluded.

Jennifer Scott

Jennifer Scott is a former freelance journalist and currently political reporter for Sky News. She has a varied writing history, having started her career at Dennis Publishing, working in various roles across its business technology titles, including ITPro. Jennifer has specialised in a number of areas over the years and has produced a wealth of content for ITPro, focusing largely on data storage, networking, cloud computing, and telecommunications.

Most recently Jennifer has turned her skills to the political sphere and broadcast journalism, where she has worked for the BBC as a political reporter, before moving to Sky News.