Security vendors SecureWorks, LURHQ merge

[InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews org>]

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=security&articleId=9003490

By Robert McMillan
September 20, 2006 
IDG News Service

Managed security services companies SecureWorks Inc. and LURHQ Corp.  
have merged.

The combined company is known as SecureWorks and is based in Atlanta.  
SecureWorks chief executive Mike Cote remains as CEO and former LURHQ
CEO Tony Prince will be executive vice president responsible for
product development.

The companies sell consulting services to corporations that are
looking for outside security expertise to help lock down their
networks. SecureWorks is best known for managing intrusion prevention
products, which protect the network from outside attacks. LURHQ is
focused on monitoring internal threats with its Security Information
and Event Monitoring service. The combined company has 1,500 clients
and manages 5,000 security devices worldwide.

"The markets and the technologies are very complementary," said
Prince.

Over the past few years, however, it has become increasingly difficult
for smaller companies to compete in the security space as customers
turn to larger vendors like AT&T Inc., VeriSign Inc. or IBM Corp.  
looking for more comprehensive products. Last month IBM announced
plans to acquire SecureWorks competitor Internet Security Systems.

Now, SecureWorks will have a better chance of competing, said Sandra
Palumbo, a senior analyst with Yankee Group Research Inc. "They are
competing in a pretty crowded market and in some cases size does
matter," she said. "It definitely is a merger that makes a lot of
sense."

Only four positions are expected to be eliminated as a result of the
deal, which closed Friday. The combined company now has about 200
employees, SecureWorks said.

SecureWorks made headlines recently when one of its researchers, David
Maynor, claimed to have found a way to take control of an MacBook by
exploiting a flaw in a wireless card. In a video, Maynor and another
security researcher named Jon Ellch demonstrated the hack using an
undisclosed third-party wireless card, but claimed that Apple Computer
Inc. was also affected by the vulnerability.

An Apple spokeswoman later claimed that Maynor and Ellch had "not
shared or demonstrated any code," relating to this flaw that was
"relevant to the hardware and software that we ship."

SecureWorks declined to comment further on the Apple matter.


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