Ivanti, backed by Clearlake Capital and TA Associates announced it will strategically acquire MobileIron Inc. and Pulse Secure. Ivanti will acquire MobileIron for approximately $872 million with MobileIron stockholders receiving $7.05 in cash per share, a 27% premium. The terms of the Pulse Secure transaction of not yet been disclosed. MobileIron and Pulse Secure are expected to enhance Ivanti’s endpoint security and automation offerings. While some of MobileIron and Pulse Secure’s mobile security solutions will be offered next to Ivanti’s own security management solutions, it’s expected that Ivanti will utilize most MobileIron and Pulse Secure’s expertise to bolster the Ivanti Neurons platform.
Ivanti Neurons is a platform that enables endpoints and edge devices to service themselves and “self-heal”. Specifically Ivanti is likely to leverage MobileIron’s “zero-trust security” technology. Zero-trust security is a form of network security where no user is trusted by default, from inside or outside the network. Verification is required from everyone to gain access to resources on the network. Core features include micro-segmentation, multi-factor authentication, and strict controls on device access.
Pulse Secure brings its ‘hybrid network security’ solutions to Ivanti Neurons. Alongside protection across multiple IT environments, it allows enterprises to choose where to place workloads and data based on compliance, audit, policy, or security requirements. Pulse Secure has created ‘separate yet connected’ architecture that allows enterprises to run critical workloads in the private cloud, and less sensitive workloads in the public cloud. This technology minimizes data exposure and allows enterprises to customize a flexible IT portfolio.
Similar acquisitions have been seen in the past, such as in February 2019 when BlackBerry acquired the artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity company Cylance. BlackBerry took a giant step towards becoming the world’s most trusted AI – cybersecurity company with this acquisition. Cylance’s AI and ML solutions is a strategic addition to Blackberry’s end-to-end secure communications portfolio. Its embeddable AI tech will help advance BlackBerry Spark, the secure communications platform for internet-of-things (IoT).
In August 2019 VMware acquired Carbon Black for $2.1 billion. Carbon Black is a public security company that focuses on securing modern cloud-native workloads. The acquisition allows VMware to seamlessly integrate Carbon Black’s cloud-native endpoint protection platform into all of VMware’s control points that support VMware’s global business. Furthermore this acquisition highlights the trend of various companies bolstering their cybersecurity solutions due to significantly increased importance. Another trend is that of consolidation of IT management businesses, where the consolidated company can now offer a more complete package of IT solutions to end-users.
The strategic acquisitions of MobileIron and Pulse Secure by Ivanti brings the Ivanti Neuron platform one step closer to being the complete IT platform equipped with hyper-automation and self-healing capabilities. This also benefits consumers as their entire IT management solutions become further consolidated. While the trends of consolidation IT management solutions and growing security needs are not new, they represent consumer demands and enterprise needs. Cybersecurity is already a cornerstone of the business of any enterprise in the 21st century, with data and meta-data providing intelligence that has resulted in costly lawsuits for private businesses and significant issues in the public sector. By bringing “hyper-automation” and “self-healing” through enterprise management mobility alongside zero-trust security across a hybrid network, Ivanti will shortly be able to offer a complete solution with a very attractive value proposition for the clients.
To learn more about evolving IT management solutions, enterprise mobility management, and enterprise mobility, download the 2020 Enterprise Mobility Research Outline.
