Acquisition fills gap in Symantec's Apple iOS mobile security strategy - and addresses the future of 'mobile first,' Symantec CEO says.

Symantec today announced its second acquisition in less than a week, with plans to purchase mobile security vendor Skycure.

The move comes on the heels of the security giant's announcement last week that it will buy browser isolation technology firm Fireglass. Symantec has made it clear that it plans to invest in emerging technologies in order to expand its endpoint security architecture: in March, the company formed the Symantec Ventures cybersecurity venture capital arm, an incubator for new startups that also will give Symantec access to potential acquisition prospects.

With Skycure, Symantec gets a full suite of Apple iOS mobile security offerings as well as a machine-learning based reputation engine for spotting unknown mobile threats.

"Skycure brings a set of capabilities that help bolster our current" offerings, Greg Clark, CEO of Symantec said in an exclusive interview with Dark Reading. "Now we can take care of your users on all platforms … We've got a good product on Android, but this product becomes much better [now] and Skycure's iOS is great, immediate closure to the gap around iOS" mobile security, he says.

Symantec will incorporate Skycure's products and technology into its Integrated Cyber Defense Platform, as well as its Symantec Enterprise Protection Cloud and Norton Mobile product families. 

Clark says the key to enterprise endpoint security is to protect all devices that users bring to the office. The workforce of the future will be all-mobile, he says, and that requires organizations to have strong mobile security to protect their data in this "mobile-first" future.

"History has proven that even when you have closed OSes like iOS, you still have substantial security vulnerabilities," Clark notes.

With the purchase of Skycure, Symantec also hopes to partner with telecommunications companies looking to provide mobile security to their end users: "We see big outreach from the telecom sector" here, Clark says.

Symantec is no stranger to Skycure: the two vendors have multiple joint customer relationships, according to Clark. The acquisition won't eliminate any positions at Skycure, either, he notes. "We’re bringing over the entire [Skycure] team," he says.

Symantec did not disclose financial details of the deal.

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About the Author(s)

Kelly Jackson Higgins, Editor-in-Chief, Dark Reading

Kelly Jackson Higgins is the Editor-in-Chief of Dark Reading. She is an award-winning veteran technology and business journalist with more than two decades of experience in reporting and editing for various publications, including Network Computing, Secure Enterprise Magazine, Virginia Business magazine, and other major media properties. Jackson Higgins was recently selected as one of the Top 10 Cybersecurity Journalists in the US, and named as one of Folio's 2019 Top Women in Media. She began her career as a sports writer in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, and earned her BA at William & Mary. Follow her on Twitter @kjhiggins.

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