Security company Tripwire buys risk management business nCircle

Global security firm Tripwire has announced its intention to acquire nCircle, a provider of information risk and security performance management systems.

The deal is expected to close in April 2013 and is subject to the customary closing conditions, but the terms of the acquisition are not being disclosed.

Tripwire said the acquisition creates a company valued at $140m, poised to lead the multi-billion dollar strategic risk and security market.

“Tripwire and nCircle have the opportunity to be a powerful and transformational combination in the rapidly changing security market,” said Jim Johnson, CEO of Tripwire.

“Our combined solutions are uniquely positioned to align security posture with business objectives, a crucial step in making security and risk meaningful and actionable across the enterprise,” he said.

In 2012, the two companies together had more than 500 employees and more than 7,000 customers in 96 countries.

The combined company is expected to rank among the largest security and vulnerability management companies, including IBM, EMC, Symantec and McAfee.

“Continuous monitoring — the process of finding and eliminating vulnerabilities before they can be exploited — is a foundational component of any security framework and the most cost-effective way to reduce the risk of security breaches,” said Abe Kleinfeld, CEO of nCircle.

“The combination of Tripwire and nCircle brings together the industry’s leading researchers and the broadest and deepest solutions for reducing risk.”