Tripwire security to be acquired by Thoma Bravo

Security specialist Tripwire is set to be acquired by a private equity company for an undisclosed sum.

The acquisition by San Francisco-based Thoma Bravo, announced on Thursday, is expected to be completed by the end of May. Portland, Oregon-based Tripwire will continue to be operated as an independent company and its chief executive, Jim Johnson, will remain as its leader, the company said in a statement on Thursday.

"Tripwire and Thoma Bravo are aligned in our goals to continue growing the company. The backing by Thoma Bravo allows us to stay focused and accelerates our vision," Johnson said in a statement. "Tripwire customers will benefit from our dedication to customer service and our continued commitment to our VIA strategy."

Tripwire VIA (Visibility, Intelligence, Automation) is the company's core suite of security products that contains enterprise-focused file integrity and compliance features along with a system that provides monitoring and management for security logons across global infrastructure stacks.

Thoma Bravo has made over 50 software acquisitions in the past five years with an aggregate value of over $3bn (£1.84bn), according to the company's website. The acquisition will add to the firm's existing portfolio of security companies, which includes LANDesk Software (acquired in August), Entrust and SonicWALL.