X
Innovation

IBM buys cloud security provider Lighthouse

IBM plans to integrate the businesses of Lighthouse and CrossIdeas with IBM's current IAM offering, with the goal of building out a full suite of identity-focused security software and services.
Written by Natalie Gagliordi, Contributor
ibm-buys-cloud-security-provider-lighthouse

IBM has acquired Lighthouse Security Group, a provider of cloud-hosted security services. Financial terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed.

Lighthouse is a subsidiary of longtime IBM partner Lighthouse Computer Services. Its signiture platform Gateway is used to protect identity and data in IT environments where company information is increasingly being stored in the cloud and accessed from mobile devices.

The deal marks Big Blue's second acquisition in the identity and access management space in just two weeks, following its purchase of CrossIdeas in late July.

IBM plans to integrate the businesses of Lighthouse and CrossIdeas with IBM's current IAM offering, with the goal of building out a full suite of identity-focused security software and services.

Kris Lovejoy, GM of IBM Security Services, said in a statement:

Business models are rapidly evolving as employees conduct more of their work offsite. Protecting this data and who has access to it has become a challenge, costing our clients time and money. With this acquisition, IBM provides a unique identity and access management offering that combines proven software and analytics technology with expert managed services that make it easy for businesses to tackle the complexities of security in this new digital world.

Although the acquisition-fueled approach to business growth is now the de facto standard in the enterprise software industry, IBM seems to be reaping the profits from its string of company purchases, especially in the enterprise security segment.

According to recent figures by Gartner, IBM has become the third-largest security software vendor, behind Symantec and McAfee, with its revenues up 20 percent year-over-year in 2013 to $1.14 billion. 

More:

Editorial standards