Websense to buy PortAuthority

Websense Inc. will pay US$90 million to acquire PortAuthority Technologies Inc., a provider of information-leak detection appliances

The acquisition, which is expected to be completed in January, will allow Websense to enhance its portfolio of enterprise Web filtering software and offer customers a way to gain control of confidential information.

Websense, based in San Diego, plans to develop a new product that will blend its ThreatSeeker technology with PortAuthority's PreciseID software, a Websense spokesman said. "We're stopping stuff from coming in; they're stopping stuff from going out," he said.

By acquiring PortAuthority, Websense hopes to be a bigger player in the emerging "data-centric content control" market, which is growing as companies try to comply with government regulations and stomp out data leaks. Citing IDC figures, Websense said that this market will grow from $194 million in annual revenue next year to $435 million in 2009.

PortAuthority has headquarters in Palo Alto, California, with research and development offices in Ra'anana, Israel. It employs about 90 people, the spokesman said. There are no immediate plans to relocate employees as a result of the acquisition, he said.