Symantec buys 4FrontSecurity, closer to completing Altiris deal

By Fiona Raisbeck on Mar 13, 2007 9:30AM

Symantec has acquired 4FrontSecurity, a Virginia-based risk management and compliance firm, and has taken another step toward its proposed acquisition of management software vendor Altiris.

Symantec bought out 4FrontSecurity on 23 February, according to a representative for the Cupertino, US based firm.

"The acquisition provides Symantec with new tools that will help our customers make manual web-based policy compliance assessments," according to a company statement.

"We expect this small acquisition to augment Symantec’s existing compliance and security-management solutions and enhance our customers’ control of the information affecting risk management, regulatory and IT policy compliance and security in their businesses."

Reached for comment on Friday, Steve Crutchley, 4FrontSecurity’s former president and CTO, asked that Symantec representatives comment on the deal.

Crutchley will become senior manager for software engineering in Symantec’s Security Compliance and Management Group, a Symantec representative said Friday.

Former 4FrontSecurity Chief Executive Officer Chris Parker will become senior manager for product management in the Security and Compliance Management Group.

The former 4FrontSecurity employees will work out of Symantec’s Herndon, Va. offices, according to Cory Edwards, Symantec’s manager of corporate communications.

The acquisition is the latest buy for Symantec, which has gobbled up a number of smaller firms in the past year.

Meanwhile, Symantec has revealed that its proposed acquisition of Altiris is one step closer to completion following the early termination of a waiting period imposed by the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act.

The deal is worth around US$830 million and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2007, after Altiris shareholder consent and regulatory approval in Germany.

The companies first announced the proposed transaction in January. Upon successful completion, Altiris stockholders will receive US$33 per share of the corporation’s common stock in cash. The Utah-based firm has strategic links with HP, Dell, Fujitsu Siemens, Intel and Cisco.

Symantec said the pending purchase of Altiris is part of its strategy to provide customers with better management and enforcement of endpoint security policies.