SAN DIEGO and PALO ALTO, Calif., Dec. 25 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Websense, Inc. (Nasdaq: WBSN) today announced a definitive agreement to acquire PortAuthority Technologies, Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif., and Ra’anana, Israel, for approximately $90 million in cash.
The planned acquisition will bring together two technology and market leaders in preemptive content security: PortAuthority with its information leak prevention technology and Websense with its ThreatSeeker(TM) malicious content identification and categorization technology. The result will be a new best-of-breed security software company with the capabilities to help organizations prevent the unauthorized use or disclosure of confidential data while simultaneously protecting users and data from external malicious threats.
Through an existing OEM technology alliance established in September of this year, Websense has been working with PortAuthority to enhance the Websense(R) Deep Content Control(TM) technology to deliver comprehensive security solutions that protect users and data from internal and external threats, both known and emerging.
Combining Websense’s ThreatSeeker malicious content identification and categorization technology with PortAuthority’s PreciseID(TM) data fingerprinting technology into a single integrated offering will allow organizations to manage how confidential data is permitted to leave an organization and under what circumstances. With deep knowledge of Internet destinations, protocols and applications, along with detailed fingerprints of internal data, Websense Deep Content Control technology will help protect information flowing through the network, including outbound, internal and Web-based email; Web postings; instant messaging; file transfers and network printing. Additionally, both technologies will use an integrated policy engine to give organizations the unique ability to manage and protect information by individual user rather than by device or Internet protocol address.
"Today’s high impact security threats aren’t about a worm overloading your mail system. They are about people stealing your proprietary information," said Gene Hodges, CEO, Websense. "Websense and PortAuthority are solving this problem today by helping companies prevent Web-based information theft and internal information leakage."
"Through this planned acquisition, Websense gains not only PortAuthority technology but the security-savvy engineers that have developed this industry-leading technology," added Hodges. "Websense is committed to maintaining PortAuthority’s research and development presence in Israel and retaining the engineering talent responsible for this innovative technology."
The market for data-centric content control is growing. IDC predicts that this market will grow from $194.0 million in 2007 to $434.6 million in 2009, representing a nearly 50 percent compound annual growth rate.*
"Websense and PortAuthority provide unique solutions to the information protection puzzle -- protecting information from the inside and outside," said Pete Foley, CEO, PortAuthority. "This acquisition is a natural evolution for both companies given the synergies between Websense’s security software, research and content classification, and our award-winning information leak prevention software."
Websense plans to deliver its information leak prevention software through worldwide channel partners, including those with an existing relationship with PortAuthority.
The stockholders of PortAuthority have approved the proposed acquisition, to be effected via a merger between a subsidiary of Websense and PortAuthority. The closing of the merger is subject to standard closing conditions and is expected to close in January 2007.
Upon closure of the transaction, Websense will assume the assets and liabilities of PortAuthority, including approximately $5 million in working capital and $4 million in indebtedness. The transaction is expected to be dilutive to Websense non-GAAP earnings per share by 10 to 15 cents in 2007 and slightly accretive in 2008. Due to the absence at this time of estimates of the acquisition-related costs and the allocation of the purchase price between goodwill, in-process R&D, other intangibles and equity-based compensation expenses related to SFAS 123R, we are currently unable to provide GAAP estimates for future earnings.
For more information about PortAuthority Technologies, Inc., visit http://www.portauthoritytech.com .
Conference Call
Websense is hosting a conference call and simultaneous webcast today at 9:00 a.m. EST (6:00 a.m. PST), to discuss the announcement. To participate in the call, investors should dial +1-888-208-1812 (domestic) or +1-719-457-2654 (international) 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the call. The webcast may be accessed via the Internet at http//:www.websense.com/investors . An audio archive of the webcast will be available on the company’s Web site through Tuesday, January 30, 2007, and a taped replay of the call will be available for one week at +1-888-203-1112 or +1-719-457-0820, passcode 3161347.
About Websense, Inc.
Websense, Inc. (Nasdaq: WBSN), a global leader in Web security and Web filtering software, is trusted to protect 24 million employees worldwide. Websense proactively discovers and immediately protects customers against web-based threats such as spyware, phishing attacks, viruses and crimeware with maximum protection and minimal effort. With diverse partnerships and integrations, Websense enhances our customers’ network and security environments. For more information, visit http://www.websense.com .
* IDC’s "Worldwide Outbound Content Compliance 2005-2009 Forecast and Analysis: IT Security Turns Inside Out," November, 2005.
Websense and Websense Enterprise are registered trademarks of Websense, Inc. in the United States and certain international markets. Websense has numerous other unregistered trademarks in the United States and internationally. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors which, if they do not materialize or prove correct, could cause Websense’s results to differ materially from historical results or those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including statements related to the potential benefits of the merger, the timing of the expected closing of the merger and statements containing the words "planned," "expects," "believes," "strategy," "opportunity," "anticipates" and similar words. The potential risks and uncertainties which contribute to the uncertain nature of these statements include, among others, risks relating to PortAuthority’s business that were not identified through diligence, risks related to integration of acquisitions, risks related to maintaining an engineering group in Israel, execution of growth initiatives, customer acceptance of the company’s services, products and fee structures; changes in domestic and international market conditions and the entry into and development of international markets for the company’s products; risks relating to intellectual property ownership; and the other risks and uncertainties described in Websense’s public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, available at http://www.sec.gov . Websense assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances arising after the date on which it was made.
