Latest Symantec acquisitions target endpoint security

Symantec made not one but two acquisitions Monday to strengthen its presence in the endpoint security market.

The latest Symantec acquisitions include Appthority, a mobile and enterprise security startup, and Javelin Networks, a startup providing protection from Active Directory-based attacks. While the financial terms of the two Symantec acquisitions were not disclosed, Appthority, based in San Francisco, has raised $25.3 million in four rounds of venture capital funding and Javelin Networks, based in Austin, Texas, raised $5 million in two rounds.

Both acquisitions will be integrated into the Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) platform; Appthority will be part of SEP Mobile, which was formerly Skycure Mobile Threat Defense and rebranded by Symantec following its acquisition of Skycure last year.

"Mobile apps are a critical threat vector that every company must address to protect their enterprise security," said Adi Sharabani, senior vice president of modern OS security at Symantec, in the announcement. "The Appthority technology extends SEP Mobile's capabilities in limiting unwanted app behaviors, supporting regulatory compliance, and assessing vulnerabilities."

This week's purchases are the latest in Symantec's recent acquisition, joining cloud web security vendor Blue Coat Systems, which was purchased for $4.65 billion, and identity theft protection company LifeLock, which Symantec bought for $2.3 billion, both in 2016. Other recent Symantec acquisitions include Skycure, a mobile threat defense provider purchased for approximately $205 million; Fireglass, a malware prevention startup purchased for approximately $225 million and VPN provider SurfEasy, for $38.5 million, all in 2017.

The 2016 purchase of Blue Coat was viewed as a reverse acquisition when Greg Clark, the Blue Coat CEO, stepped into the top spot at Symantec after the transaction was completed.