Akamai Technologies, Inc., the intelligent edge platform for securing and delivering digital experiences, announced it has agreed to acquire Montreal-based Inverse.
The acquisition is intended to enhance Akamai’s enterprise security capabilities and expand its portfolio of zero trust and secure access service edge solutions for IoT, the statement said.
Inverse provides a robust data repository and world class algorithms capable of identifying an expansive universe of IoT, mobile and other device types. These include HVAC, lighting systems, medical equipment, robotics, printers and beyond, along with a deep understanding of their expected network behaviors.
Commenting on the development, Ludovic Marcotte, President and CEO, Inverse, said: “Any number of internet-connected devices can be a jumping-off point for malware to discover and exfiltrate sensitive corporate data. The Fingerbank data lake provides visibility into the device landscape – what the devices are communicating with and their typical behavior. With an anticipated 41.6 billion internet-connected devices by 2025, according to IDC, this data is essential so that enterprises can apply the correct security controls.”
“Enterprises already have thousands of ‘things’ connecting to their networks, and that number is only expected to grow, making securing the enterprise ever more difficult. Gaining context and visibility into the device landscape, with what the devices are communicating and their typical behavior is critical,” said Dr. Robert Blumofe, executive vice president, platform and general manager, enterprise division, Akamai Technologies. “By combining the Inverse device fingerprint data repository with Akamai’s own security data from the 1.3 billion device interactions that take place daily across the Akamai Intelligent Edge security platform, we believe we can create an industry leading solution to apply zero trust controls and enhanced security to the full landscape of devices and workforce.”
The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter 2021.
