Cisco Systems to purchase Kenna Security to enhance Cyber security

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) is beefing up its presence in the segment with a fresh acquisition. On Friday, the networking equipment giant announced its intent to purchase privately held Kenna Security. Cisco did not disclose the price nor the leading terms of the arrangement.

Security has always been a major concern for Cisco, given that it is a longtime provider of networking products and solutions. Assuming it can successfully integrate Kenna Security's solutions into its own offerings, its platform should become that much more effective at stopping threats.

Kenna Security specializes in risk-based vulnerability management (RBVM), which it describes as "a cybersecurity strategy in which organizations prioritize remediation of software vulnerabilities according to the risk they pose to the organization. Post acquisition, Cisco will incorporate Kenna Security's solutions as part of a wider incorporation of threat management and RBVM into its SecureX platform.

"Our goal is to unify all critical control points into a single platform, said Jeetu Patel, general manager of security and collaboration, as saying. "With the addition of Kenna Security, we will fundamentally strengthen our platform experience by giving customers the ability to prioritize vulnerabilities based on a robust risk methodology that is tuned to their unique needs."

Such incorporation should not be a problem; Cisco said that Kenna's technology "integrates with all major industry vulnerability-assessment platforms." Cisco expects the acquisition to close in the fourth quarter of this year.