The acquisition is expected to close next month

Dec 11, 2014 13:26 GMT  ·  By
Cisco integrates Neohapsis team into its Security Services division
5 photos
   Cisco integrates Neohapsis team into its Security Services division

In a move designed to strengthen security services for its customers, Cisco announced on Wednesday that it started the procedures for acquiring Neohapsis, a privately-held security advisory company based in Chicago.

The end goal is for Cisco to be able to deliver solutions that would help customers become aware of the risks they’re facing and benefit from new business models with structured approaches for increased protection.

Neohapsis will be part of Cisco Security Services, a group led by Senior Vice President and General Manager Bryan Palma.

Increased security capabilities for Cisco customers

“Together, Cisco, Neohapsis and our partner ecosystem will deliver comprehensive services to help our customers build the security capabilities required to remain secure and competitive in today’s markets,” said Hilton Romanski, head of business development, on the company website on Wednesday.

James Mobley, president and CEO of Neohapsis, is also excited about the new path of the company, as he believes that the decision to join Cisco is a “perfect strategic match” because of the shared focus on Internet of Everything (IoE), expecting groundbreaking work to be carried out.

“Together, what we bring to enterprise customers, IoT device manufacturers, and associated service providers will be unique in the market,” he writes in a blog post.

Neohapsis offers mobile and cloud security services and comes with plenty of experience in risk management, compliance challenges, and information security. Among its current customers are Fortune 500 companies.

Neohapsis brings to the table strong expertise

It works with companies in the financial industry to manage regulatory compliance requirements with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA DSS).

Moreover, the company offers services such as penetration testing for banking systems and performs data security audits.

Apart from financial services, the Neohapsis portfolio of customers also includes organizations in the insurance, healthcare, science and technology, retail, and government, education, and non-profit sectors.

The company was founded in 1997 and it is at its second acquisition, the first one having occurred in 2006. The name is derived from Greek and it stands for “new happening.”

The details of the acqui-hire have remained undisclosed, but the deal is expected to be closed in the second quarter of fiscal year 2015, which ends in January 2015.

By adding security-as-a-service to its offer, Cisco is bound to develop the security side of the business. Back in April, the company launched Managed Threat Defense, a solution that includes both hardware and software components with analytic capabilities for detecting threats missed by antivirus products.

Neohapsis added to Cisco Security Services (5 Images)

Cisco integrates Neohapsis team into its Security Services division
Neohapsis CEO is excited about the moveNeohapsis offers mobile and cloud security services
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