Dell to buy security vendor Credant

IDG News Service - Dell has made a deal to acquire data-protection vendor Credant Technologies and plans to add the company's technology to its enterprise IT security offerings.

The companies did not disclose the terms of the deal. Credant, founded in 2001, is based in Addison, Texas, about 200 miles north of Dell's headquarters in Round Rock, Texas.

Credant sells software and services to encrypt data and keep it secure as it is moved across PCs, mobile devices, USB drives, cloud services and other locations. It offers a single console for data protection policies across all those platforms and says its software can coexist with existing enterprise management systems. The company claims it secures more than two million endpoints across industries including defense, health care, media and universities.

Dell said it will use Credant software to enhance the security capabilities of its Latitude, OptiPlex and Precision computers. Dell already has a joint development and OEM (original equipment manufacturer) agreement with Credant and uses the company's technology in its Dell Data Protection/Encryption product.

Prior to the Credant deal, Dell had already spent $4.9 billion on acquisitions this year to establish its enterprise credentials. Some analysts have said the company hasn't yet made the most of those new assets.

Stephen Lawson covers mobile, storage and networking technologies for The IDG News Service. Follow Stephen on Twitter at @sdlawsonmedia. Stephen's e-mail address is stephen_lawson@idg.com