Accenture to acquire iDefense Security Intelligence Services

Accenture, based in Chicago, IL, announced on February 9 that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the iDefense Security Intelligence Services business from VeriSign, Inc. iDefense, one of the world’s first and most prolific cyber threat intelligence businesses, has proven capabilities in cyber intelligence related to vulnerabilities, malicious code and global threats to organizations. iDefense’s next generation intelligence platform specializes in delivering faster access to relevant, timely and actionable security intelligence, enabling organizations to make smarter security decisions and defend against new and evolving threats. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Completion of the acquisition is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

Complementing recent security investments, the acquisition of iDefense augments Accenture Security’s existing Cyber Defense Services with targeted threat intelligence that Accenture will embed into services it manages for clients’ security operations. iDefense has amassed vast amounts of proprietary threat intelligence data over the past 18 years – data that powers its application program interfaces (APIs) and its distinctive analysis platform, IntelGraph. In addition to directly providing threat intelligence to Fortune 500 customers, Accenture will fuel its cybersecurity platform with these capabilities to enhance its ability to inform clients where threats are forming and coming from, and what actions to take – much earlier than other providers who leverage public data feeds.

iDefense’s capabilities will also become an integral component of Accenture’s adversary simulation, threat hunting and incident response services. Accenture’s Global Delivery Network of security professionals will further enhance iDefense’s offerings through new telemetry sources and innovative threat intelligence services designed to help organizations achieve maximum value from security technologies.

“There simply isn’t enough time, budget or human resources to defend against every imaginable attack scenario or adversary without intelligent systems and automation. That’s why having the best available threat intelligence is critical to helping us protect our clients’ entire value chains, allowing them to focus on innovation and growth,” said Kelly Bissell, managing director of Accenture Security. “We are confident that the collective capabilities of Accenture Security and iDefense can help organizations better understand where threats are coming from and adjust protections before damage is done.”

“iDefense has always been recognized for our differentiated and innovative approach to security intelligence and vulnerability management. Our contextual cyber intelligence is delivered to clients in a highly consumable way, so they can confidently use it to enhance a security control, drive a course of action or mitigate risk effectively in their business,” said Josh Ray, vice president, iDefense Security Intelligence Services. “We are very excited by this opportunity to bring our unparalleled threat intelligence services to Accenture Security’s extensive portfolio of end-to-end security and technology services.”

Source: Accenture