Just yesterday morning, rumors were swirling that Google was competing with Microsoft to acquire security firm Mandiant. It was thought both companies were in talks to close a deal. Well, it seems Google’s talks were more advanced than though. The company last night confirmed its is purchasing Mandiant in a $5.4 billion acquisition.
It is unclear whether yesterday was meant to be the announcement date, or whether the speculation meant Google decided to simply confirm the purchase. Either way, Google will now take control of Mandiant. One question is if the Google beat Microsoft to the deal or whether Microsoft pulled out earlier for other reasons.
Reports were pointing to the companies having different goals in negotiations. Google was actively pursuing integrating Mandiant into its cloud products. While Microsoft would do the same, there was speculation Redmond’s interest was more about taking Mandiant out of SentinelOne. The security firm integrates with SentinelOne, which is a direct rival to Microsoft Defender.
Final Deal
Could Google’s more noble reasons for acquiring the firm has played a part in closing the deal? Microsoft was thought to be an advanced talks to buy Mandiant in early February. It is unclear if the company walked away completely before Google came into view, or whether the two directly competed.
Either way, it is Google that will have the benefits of Mandiant, and will pay $5.4 billion for the right.
Mandiant became famous for discovering the SolarWinds exploits that targeted the Orion app with the Solarigate attack. SolarWinds related attacks using the SunBurst malware infected organizations, including government agencies. It was one of the largest security issues in history, although ultimately less than 100 customers were breached.
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Last Updated on March 11, 2022 2:35 pm CET by Luke Jones
