Security firm Blue Coat Systems said on Wednesday that it has acquired Norman Shark, a provider of malware analysis solutions, for an undisclosed sum.
According to Blue Coat, the acquisition unites Norman’s sandboxing technology with Blue Coat’s Advanced Threat Protection solution to help customers identify and defend against advanced threats.
Norman Shark was spun off from Norman AS, a Norway-based security company in January 2013. The company’s IntelliVM and SandBox technologies help security teams analyze threats and gather intelligence on malware targeting their specific environments.
Blue Coat has worked closely with Norman Shark as an OEM partner and has already integrated Norman Shark’s technology into its Malware Analysis Appliance.
“Integration of the Norman Shark technology with the Blue Coat Content Analysis System and Security Analytics Platform delivers a solution that protects against zero-day threats before, during and after an attack by detecting, analyzing, blocking, resolving and fortifying the network against unknown and latent threats,” said Greg Clark, CEO of Blue Coat Systems.
Founded in 1996 as CacheFlow, Blue Coat went public in 1999, but has since been taken private in a $1.3 billion buyout led by private equity firm Thoma Bravo in December 2011.
Blue Coat, which historically has been known for its web gateway appliances and solutions for monitoring and filtering users’ Internet activity, has transformed significantly recently.
Since accepting the buyout from Thoma Bravo, the company has made significant changes and added several new offerings, many of which have come through acquisitions—today adding Norman Shark to that list.
In December 2012, Blue Coat announced its plans to acquire Crossbeam Systems to expand its security and network optimization portfolio. The company also acquired Solera Networks, a provider of security intelligence and analytics solutions, in May 2013.
Blue Coat said Norman Shark acquisition complements its acquisitions of Solera Networks and SSL technology from Netronome, which it also acquired earlier this year.
