Check Point primarily concentrates on firewalls, server-side software that monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic and prevents malicious intrusions. Zone Labs produces similar software for desktops and notebooks. The Zone Labs software can also help prevent PCs from becoming drones that can be used by attackers to launch assaults on other systems.
Working together, the two types of software can further help corporations defend themselves against attacks, the companies stated.
"The biggest opportunity we have is brining security to every desktop," Gil Shwed, Check Point's chief executive officer, said.
Check Point also hopes the acquisition will help it better position itself competitively through diversification. Security companies used to specialise in a few products. Now most are trying to sell a broad array of products that will work in concert. Symantec for instance, bought two software companies specialising in management tools that, over time, will make it easier for customers to update their security systems.
Shwed, in fact, stated that next quarter the company will come out with new products for beefing up Web security and security within companies.
Zone Labs has approximately 25 million users of its ZoneAlarm application, many of which use the free version of the product. The company, however, also has a corporate version that comes with tools that let information technology employees manage desktops remotely. Zone Labs also sells security software for instant messaging, which it bought earlier from IMSecure.
Check Point will pay US$113 million in cash and US$92 million in stock for San Francisco-based Zone Labs.
