Sophos, company that specializes in endpoint security and control solutions, has publicly announced the fact that it plans to better its lead position in the information security industry by purchasing Ultimaco Safeware AG. In order to do so, Sophos is prepared to initiate a voluntary public takeover offer and purchase all outstanding Ultimaco shares with cash money. At the same time Sophos will acquire from Investcorp Technology Partners a 24.99% share stake in Ultimaco, also for cash money, but this will occur after the takeover offer will be unconditional.

Steve Munford, CEO of Sophos comments: "Information security should be as commonplace as anti-virus protection - no longer a nice to have, but a must have. Companies of all sizes are looking to protect against both external and internal threats, with one manageable solution. Integrating endpoint protection, network access control and encryption provides us with a great platform for innovation as the market continues to focus on securing and controlling information."

Ultimaco, company based near Frankfurt, Germany that specializes in providing enterprise data security solutions, will have to accept or deny the offer by August 2008. If the takeover goes through, Sophos will pay €14.75 per share, which amounts to a grand total of €217 million. The takeover will mean that Sophos will be at the forefront of the battle to protect information and machines not only from all sorts of external security threats, but also from reckless or malicious user actions. This comes at a moment when the IT security world has acknowledged that loss of private, confidential data is a security issue equally important as malware and viruses.

"Utimaco has great engineering and their new SafeGuard Enterprise product perfectly addresses the need for sophisticated key management and modular architecture. There is a strong fit with both organizations excelling in engineering and customer service, and we will continue to prioritize investment in these areas," says Steve Munford.

Following the takeover all products produced by Ultimaco will benefit from Sophos support, development and investment. From a customer's point of view, this means getting a product that was developed and produced using the combined resources of the two companies, a product that is easier to use and provides better security.