Forcepoint acquires Bitglass to strengthen its SASE platform

Forcepoint has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Bitglass which delivers a cloud-native Security Service Edge (SSE) platform for securing access to and usage of information as organisations transform to the cloud.

It brings together Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), and Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM), combined with Data Loss Prevention (DLP) capabilities to enable uniform security policies for accessing the web, cloud, and private data centres managed through a single console.

Forcepoint will use Bitglass’s SSE platform to complement its data-first SASE architecture and accelerate its efforts to make advanced threats protection and data security technologies easier for organisations to deploy.

The company’s SSE platform is specifically designed to take full advantage of modern hyperscalers. It goes beyond simply being accessible on the internet, scaling up to handle growing loads and provide the resilience customers need for ensuring always-on access to applications and data. Over the past five years, Bitglass has continuously delivered 99.99 per cent availability, ensuring users can reliably and securely access the resources they need to be productive.

NEWS: Forcepoint to acquire Security Service Edge leader Bitglass (@bitglass). Details here: https://t.co/LGVgPi66pF pic.twitter.com/vKnK6zbhhd

— Forcepoint (@ForcepointSec) October 11, 2021

SSE represents the convergence of technologies for securing access to and usage of sensitive data and intellectual property in web and cloud traffic as well as private data centre applications. By unifying security functions, policies and operations that previously were spread across siloed products from different vendors, SSE reduces the complexity of enabling hybrid workforces to safely and efficiently get to and use the breadth of resources they need to be productive.

“Complexity is the enemy of security. IT teams today are faced with the reality that securing a hybrid work environment is even more complex than the move to work-from-home was last year. With the acquisition of Bitglass, Forcepoint will be accelerating our ability to address customers’ widespread need for enabling hybrid workforces to safely access and use information everywhere—in the web, cloud and data cenrer—more easily than ever before,” said Manny Rivelo, chief executive officer at Forcepoint.

“When the average CISO is managing over 50 security products of loosely connected technologies, it’s clear the industry is challenged and needs to change. By uniting Bitglass and Forcepoint, we will be able to deliver the industry’s first integrated security platform that transforms and consolidates data security, network, web, and cloud security, threat protection, advanced monitoring, and zero trust control to make access to and usage of information more effective, more reliable and less complex,” Rivelo continued.

Further details on the integration of Bitglass within Forcepoint’s data-first SASE architecture will be announced later this year following completion of the acquisition.

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