Thursday, May 18, 2006

Microsoft Buys Whale

Redmond-based Microsoft is acquiring New Jersey-based Whale Communications, a provider of secure sockets layer (SSL) firewalls, the firm said today. Microsoft said that it would acquire Whale to provide Microsoft customers with a broader range of choices for secure access. Whale provides secure sockets layer (SSL) virtual private networks (VPN) and Web application firewalls, used by businesses to protect their networks and data. Whale also has offices in Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Israel. Terms were not disclosed. Whale is backed by BRM Capital, Soros Private Equity Partners, RBC Capital Markets and others.