Microsoft has finished its acquisition of e-mail security firm Sybari Software, it announced last month. However, it has also decided to ditch the company’s antivirus
products for Unix and Linux servers.
The Sybari deal was originally announced in February (see IT Weekly, 19-25 February 2005), but such deals can take several months to actually complete. Now that the deal has been finalised, Microsoft has wasted no further time in ending sales of Sybari’s Antigen versions of Unix and Linux products, although it said it will continue to support existing users. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of Microsoft, Sybari will continue to offer enterprise protection products for the Microsoft Windows platform, the company said.
“Customers have told us they want powerful security solutions for the enterprise to help protect their messaging and collaboration servers from viruses, worms and spam,” said Mike Nash, corporate vice president of the Security Business & Technology Unit at Microsoft. “Sybari’s award-winning and innovative products coupled with its strong industry partnerships and deep integration with such products as Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 will deliver immediate value to Microsoft customers.”
Microsoft said the merger would allow the two companies to capitalise on key areas of increased value and future innovation to customers, technology partners, channel partners and sales personnel. The existing Sybari sales channel and licensing models will remain intact for the immediate future, Microsoft said, with the Sybari operations continuing to have their headquarters in East Northport, New York. Similarly, Microsoft currently plans to continue to offer Sybari solutions under existing licensing models and practices.
The software giant will continue to support all the antivirus engines that work with Sybari’s server-based products. Sybari provides virus signature updates using anti-virus engines from other vendors including Sophos, Computer Associates and Kaspersky Labs. Microsoft will integrate its own antivirus engine, which it acquired in 2003 in its acquisition of GeCad.
