Defense contractor Raytheon today said that it has acquired the Government Solutions business of SafeNet, a privately held provider of network security and data protection solutions.
The move to acquire the Torrance, California-based unit, which has approximately 170 employees, was to increase Raytheon’s ability to provide encryption capabilities needed by government customers to protect classified data.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
SafeNet’s Government Solutions include encryption products, and cater to high-speed, satellite, networking, data link, voice, key management, and wireless communication markets. According to Raytheon, SafeNet’s offerings complement its communications systems for enabling the U.S. military to securely transmit classified voice and data traffic.
“This transaction, part of Raytheon’s strategic road map, provides an immediate insertion of proven strong technologies and talent into our business,” said Daniel J. Crowley, president of Raytheon Network Centric Systems (NCS). “SafeNet’s government business offers industry-leading encryption technology that integrates very well with Raytheon’s existing solutions, providing government and industry customers with the information assurance they need today and in the future.”
Jim Summers, general manager of SafeNet Government Solutions, will join Raytheon and will continue to lead the organization, Raytheon said. The division will become the “Secure Information Systems” product area within NCS’s Integrated Communication Systems business, currently headed by NCS Vice President Scott Whatmough.
In November, SafeNet said that it planend to sell its government solutions unit in order to focus on the company’s data protection and rights management portfolios.
Earlier this week, SafeNet announced that CA Technologies & BMC Software veteran Dave Hansen had taken over as President and CEO of the firm, replacing Chris Fedde who had been with the firm since 2001.
“All of our data protection and rights management customers will benefit from today’s announcement, whether they are commercial, critical infrastructure, or government enterprises,” Hansen said in a statement. “It will enable us to continue to sharpen our focus and extend our leadership in the explosive growth markets of data protection for cloud and virtual environments, and security from the cloud.”
