HelpSystems Continues Cybersecurity Acquisition Spree
HelpSystems this week announced it has acquired Digital Guardian, a provider of a data loss prevention (DLP) platform available as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) application or managed service, as part of an ongoing effort to roll up multiple security vendors.
The acquisition comes on the heels of a move to acquire PhishLabs, a provider of threat intelligence based on data collected from thousands of social media sources and hundreds of public and private data feeds. That data is then aggregated using automated crawling, parsing, anti-evasion and pivoting processes to generate cybersecurity intelligence.
Earlier this year HelpSystems acquired Beyond Security, a provider of a cloud-based service for scanning applications for network and network or application vulnerabilities; Agari, a provider of a SaaS platform that employs data science to help combat social engineering and phishing attacks; and Digital Defense, a threat assessment and vulnerability management platform.
Other elements of the portfolio include GoAnywhere, a managed file transfer service; Titus, a provider of data classification tools; and Clearswift, a provider of email and web security gateways that includes a DLP capability.
John Grancarich, vice president of product and growth strategy for HelpSystems, said that while HelpSystems continues to make each of these offerings available separately, it plans to offer an integrated platform in 2022 that will eliminate redundancies that currently exist across the portfolio.
Most organizations today have a limited number of resources that need to be applied against a constantly growing number of cybersecurity threats. The challenge is that it’s not uncommon for larger organizations to employ as many as 75 different cybersecurity tools that they try to integrate using scripting tools, said Grancarich.
At the same time, he noted many organizations no longer want to have to manage multiple providers of cybersecurity tools and services. HelpSystems plans to enable those organizations to swing the pendulum back to a point where the number of security vendors they need to engage can be reduced, he said.
HelpSystems’ offering can be deployed either on-premises or in the cloud by its more than 30,000 customers, Grancarich added.
That strategy will also enable HelpSystems to apply machine learning algorithms and other forms of artificial intelligence (AI) to create autonomous workflows that eliminate many routine tasks. Cybercriminals today are taking advantage of vulnerabilities that emerge because simple issues such as patching applications have not been routinely performed. Automating those processes will increase the time and effort required on the part of a cybercriminal to find and exploit a vulnerability to the point where such activity is profitable, noted Grancarich.
HelpSystems isn’t the only cybersecurity vendor that has been either acquiring other vendors or organically extending its portfolio as part of an effort to reduce the total cost of cybersecurity. The challenge now is determining which of those comprehensive suites will provide the most capability at a level of cost most organizations can realistically afford.
