Dell – SecureWorks Deal in Pipeline
With IT security increasingly becoming a matter of top priority for businesses and institutions on all levels, world-renowned computer manufacturer Dell Inc. has taken positive steps to remain ahead of would-be hackers by putting in an offer to purchase IT security provider SecureWorks Inc. With the deal expected to close early in 2011, this strategic move will ensure that Dell customers will have the latest innovations in IT security at their fingertips.
Promoted on their website as a “World class leader in information security and threat protection”, Atlanta-based SecureWorks has in excess of 2,800 clients, the majority of which are mid-sized businesses in a variety of sectors. SecureWorks was initially founded by Michael Pearson and Joan Wilbanks in 1998 as a privately held company. A series of subsequent mergers (such as with LURHQ Corporation in 2006) and restructuring took place over the following years, with the company being named to the Inc. 500 list in 2005 and 2006, as well as featuring on the Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500. The acquisition of Managed Security Services and DNS Limited by SecureWorks in 2009 further strengthened the company’s position and expanded its client base into more than 50 countries.
Terms of the deal have not been made public, but it has been revealed that Secureworks has projected 2010 fiscal year revenue of more than $120 million. The company reportedly detects more than 30,000 varieties of malware each day, as well as handling around 13 billion so-called ‘security events’ daily. Analysts note that managed security providers in North America’s IT industry are expected to account for around $2.3 billion in revenue in the coming year, in what is widely considered to be a growing market.
Services offered by SecureWorks through its secure operations centers in Atlanta, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Illinois and Chicago include outsourced security monitoring and management; co-management of security devices such as intrusion prevention and detection systems and firewalls; security incident monitoring; vulnerability scanning; email filtering; computer forensics; PCI compliance services; and other specialized IT security services. It would seem that Dell plans to maintain current operations with a view to expansion of services as technology advances.
