This article was published on December 2, 2013

Akamai snaps up security company Prolexic to better fend off DDoS attacks


Akamai snaps up security company Prolexic to better fend off DDoS attacks

The content delivery network Akamai, responsible for handling around 15 – to 20 percent of the Web’s total traffic, has agreed to buy Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection specialists Prolexic in order to better integrate protection from attacks.

The deal was announced today and will see Akamai pay around $370 million for the security company. While Akamai already offered customers security from Web and app attacks, following the acquisition it intends to “provide customers with a comprehensive portfolio of security solutions designed to defend an enterprise’s Web and IP infrastructure against application-layer, network-layer and data center attacks delivered via the Internet”.

Perhaps not the most exciting of acquisitions on the surface, but Akamai’s position is an important one as it carries so much of the total global Web traffic. As a result, better protection from potential attacks should result in less site downtime for their customers, and more up-time for the sites and services you know and love.

➤ Akamai to acquire Prolexic [Prolexic]

Featured Image Credit – Thinkstock

Get the TNW newsletter

Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.