IT meets OT as Belden buys TripWire for $710m

Belden announced that it will buy IT security services firm TripWire for $710 million.
Belden announced that it will buy IT security services firm TripWire for $710 million.

In a move that heralded the growing convergence of information security and IT operations, Belden, a maker of industrial networking equipment, said it is acquiring Tripwire, an IT security services firm for $710 in cash.

The announcement, on Tuesday, underscores the degree to which traditional IT security focused on securing enterprise networks is becoming part and parcel of the services that industrial firms wish to offer to their customers in heavy industries and critical infrastructure.

[Read more Security Ledger reporting on Internet of Things and IT-OT convergence.]

In a published statement, Belden said that, together, the companies will “work to deliver the next generation of cybersecurity solutions that can be deployed across enterprise, industrial, and broadcast markets.”

John Stroup, President and CEO of Belden, said TripWire will extend his company’s capabilities. The two companies had previously worked together to improve critical infrastructure cybersecurity in manufacturing organizations, tailoring cyber security solutions for specific customer engagements. . The partnership provided comprehensive cybersecurity solutions tailored to specific customer requirements.

In a statement Jim Johnson, the CEO of Tripwire, said that partnership got both companies to recognize the strengths of combining their technologies. He called the acquisition a “bold step into the future.”

With the acquisition,  Belden, based in St. Louis, Missouri, acquires a broad portfolio of security products and services, including software vulnerability management intrusion detection, threat- and compliance monitoring. Belden is a leader in providing signal transmission solutions for mission-critical applications in verticals like broadcasting, enterprise and critical infrastructure.

According to company statements, Tripwire has 9,000 customers spread across 91 countries, including more than half of Fortune 500 companies.The companies said the acquisition will enable Belden to address the growing need for combined information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) products and services that so-called Internet of Things technologies demand.

 

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