EMC Acquires NetWitness in Network Security Analysis

EMC Corporation has acquired Virginia-based NetWitness Corporation, a privately-held provider of network security analysis solutions.

NetWitness’ technologies provide precise and pervasive network visibility, enabling security teams to detect and remediate advanced threats while automating the incident investigation process. EMC’s acquisition of NetWitness closed on April 1, 2011, and NetWitness will now operate as a part of RSA, The Security Division of EMC. The transaction is not expected to have a material impact to revenue or EPS for the full 2011 fiscal year.

NetWitness offers a network security monitoring and analysis platform that provides organizations with a complete and actionable understanding of activity happening on their enterprise networks. Leading organizations worldwide have deployed NetWitness solutions to solve a range of challenging information security problems including: insider threats, zero-day exploits and targeted malware, advanced persistent threats, fraud, espionage, data leakage, and continuous monitoring of critical security controls. NetWitness customers include enterprises across the Global 1000 in sectors such as financial services, power and energy, telecommunications, retail, and high-tech, as well as government agencies around the world in defense, homeland security, law enforcement, and intelligence.

"The intensity and sophistication of advanced adversaries and zero day malware challenge every organization to rethink traditional approaches to network security," said Tom Heiser, President, RSA, The Security Division of EMC. "NetWitness has redefined the security landscape, providing a powerful solution for organizations seeking to gain immediate insight, precise clarity, and timely closure in the face of the toughest cyber threats. NetWitness’ unique network security analysis capabilities extend RSA’s solutions for managing security risk and compliance across both physical and virtual environments."

NetWitness will become an element of RSA’s Advanced Security Management Solutions, providing real-time visibility into network activity and adding efficiency to incident investigations and workflow. By combining the NetWitness network monitoring and analysis technology with RSA’s enVision platform, RSA Data Loss Prevention Suite (DLP) and RSA CyberCrime Intelligence service, security teams can achieve insight into the security posture of their organizations. The precise intelligence and visibility that NetWitness provides, coupled with the RSA Archer eGRC platform, enables organizations to apply business context to security information for better identification and prioritization of security risks while improving and streamlining the incident management process.

NetWitness innovations also go beyond network security analysis to include automated malware analysis, a growing requirement for addressing advanced persistent threats. Announced at RSA Conference 2011 and available in Q2 2011, NetWitness unveiled Spectrum, a new offering that replicates the knowledge, process and workflow of malware analysts. Spectrum will deliver multiple signature-free methods to identify advanced and zero-day malware. When supplemented by the data collected through RSA FraudAction and RSA CyberCrime Intelligence services, Spectrum can perform a key role in addressing evolving threats.

"EMC and NetWitness share a complementary vision for the future of security management, work with the same types of industry-leading customers, and have a respect for each other’s cultures of innovation and growth," said Amit Yoran, CEO of NetWitness. "Joining RSA is a strategic move that will deliver significant benefit for NetWitness customers, partners and employees. EMC has a tremendous record of bringing together smart people and hot technologies and continuing to invest in them to further accelerate growth and achieve their full market potential. Together, we have an opportunity to further strengthen our leadership position in network security analysis by creating new, integrated products and capabilities to solve our customers’ most complex security challenges."