17 August 2005
Symantec To Acquire Sygate Technologies
Leading Endpoint Compliance Technology to Extend Symantec’s Security Leadership
Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) today announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Sygate Technologies, a
technology leader in endpoint compliance solutions. Sygate’s technology will complement Symantec’s presence on the
endpoint to create a holistic solution to address the security, compliance and remediation requirements of today’s large
enterprises. The acquisition is expected to close shortly after receiving customary regulatory approvals.
“Securing the endpoints of a corporate network is a challenge that affects all enterprises,” said Chris Christiansen,
vice president of security products and services, IDC. “Companies are looking for integrated offerings that can both
protect the network and ensure that endpoints are compliant with security policies. This acquisition will give customers
a complete endpoint compliance solution while helping to reduce complexity and cost.”
Endpoint compliance solutions help enterprise organisations enforce security by guaranteeing that all devices connected
to a network – desktops, laptops, servers and mobile devices – are running the appropriate security solutions, are
configured correctly and possess up-to-date patches. Symantec will now be able to help businesses enforce business
policies and automate security practices to regain control of network security, reduce costs, and ensure compliance
across the organisation.
“It is critical to have an endpoint compliance solution that will allow companies to leverage their existing IT
infrastructure to control the myriad devices connecting to the network,” said Enrique Salem, senior vice president,
security products and solutions at Symantec.
“A recognised leader in endpoint compliance, Sygate provides the first universal network access control system designed
to protect the entire enterprise network – from mobile devices to servers to unmanaged devices. The fact that their
technology is built on industry standards means that companies don’t have to implement expensive infrastructure changes
to deploy this solution.”
For more than five years, enterprise customers have turned to Sygate to automate the process of discovering endpoints,
determining their compliance with security policies, enforcing network access control, remediating noncompliant systems
and then continuously monitoring for compliance.
The Sygate Universal Network Access Control system enables enterprises to extend the protections of network access
control to every type of network access (VPN, wireless, wired switch, DHCP and home networks) and on all endpoints
(desktops, laptops, servers, guest systems and embedded devices) and allows them to define how secure an endpoint must
be before it can access specific network resources, even when users take their mobile devices off the corporate network.
“Thanks to the support of our customers, employees, investors, partners and shareholders, Sygate has helped some of the
largest, most complex enterprises to secure their infrastructures and eliminate disruptions to business-critical
computer systems,” said John DeSantis, president and CEO of Sygate Technologies.
“Combining our entrepreneurial spirit and expertise in endpoint compliance with Symantec’s outstanding resources,
corporate culture and market leadership in client security will allow us to offer customers the most comprehensive
solution for both managed and unmanaged endpoints.”
Upon close of the deal, Symantec AntiVirus and Symantec Client Security customers will be able to license and deploy
Sygate’s Network Access Control (SNAC) agent to provide endpoint compliance on top of the protection they already
receive. Symantec will integrate its remediation capabilities like LiveUpdate and LiveState Patch Manager and its data
availability solutions into a more robust endpoint compliance solution.
Protecting enterprise networks and application data from exposure by user access from unmanaged devices like business
centre kiosks has also proven to be a unique challenge for enterprises. Sygate On-Demand Agent (SODA) provides a small
lightweight agent that can be downloaded via SSL and portal connections. This agent ensures that endpoints that are not
company-owned or managed are in compliance with corporate security policies and that the transaction data itself is
secure.
In addition to providing network access control and key on-demand security technology, Sygate also provides
award-winning endpoint protection capability. Recently announced Sygate Enterprise Solution (SEP) 5.0 provides broad
protection and control in a single agent and under simplified management. Symantec expects to leverage and integrate
these technologies with its existing endpoint protection products. Until that integration occurs, SEP 5.0 will be
offered alongside Symantec’s other endpoint security solutions.
About Sygate Technologies, Inc.
Sygate is the market-leader in network access control solutions for the large enterprise. Through intelligent policy
enforcement, its solution ensures ‘Compliance on Contact,’ protecting computers, data and networks from misuse,
malicious access and misconfiguration. Using Sygate solutions, the world’s largest organisations protect their networks,
enforce business policies and automate security practices to regain control of network security, reduce costs and ensure
compliance across the organisation. Partnerships with industry leaders, including Alcatel, Aruba, Aventail, Cisco,
Enterasys, Extreme Networks, Hewlett Packard, iPass, Juniper Networks, Microsoft and Nortel enable Sygate’s technology
to operate seamlessly across multiple platforms and applications. Sygate Technologies is headquartered in Fremont,
California. For more information, please visit www.sygate.com
About Symantec
Symantec is the world leader in providing solutions to help individuals and enterprises assure the security,
availability and integrity of their information. Headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., Symantec has operations in more
than 40 countries. More information is available at www.symantec.com.
ENDS