Dell to Buy SonicWall for $1.2 Billion POSTED March 14, 2012 SAN JOSE -- Dell announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire SonicWALL, Inc., a leader in advanced network security and data protection. SonicWALL's industry-leading Next-Generation Firewalls and Unified Threat Management (UTM) Firewalls complement Dell's security solutions portfolio, enabling it to offer customers a broader range of enterprise offerings. The terms of the acquisition weren't disclosed but The Wall Street Journal reports Dell is paying $1.2 billion for the company based in San Jose. SonicWALL, founded in 1991, serves customers in 50 countries around the world. Thoma Bravo is the lead institutional investor in SonicWALL. Dell said it looks forward to welcoming SonicWALL's approximately 950 employees to the Dell team, and plans continued investments to grow this business. The transaction was approved by the board of directors of each company. Additional terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction remains subject to customary conditions and is expected to close in the second quarter of Dell "We are building a strategic software portfolio to address the needs of our customers with key assets in the fast-growing and highly profitable IT security solutions business. Our customers see security as a key IT concern for the foreseeable future," said John Swainson, president, Dell Software Group. "SonicWALL gives Dell access to unique intellectual property resources and technology that position us well in fast growing parts of the software security business." "Dell's distribution, reach and brand are well-recognized across the industry. This transaction aligns well with Dell's mid-market design focus and allows us to accelerate growth of our flagship SuperMassive Next-Generation Firewall solutions with Large Enterprise customers," said Matt Medeiros, president and CEO, SonicWALL. "Additionally, SonicWALL is recognized as a leading security solutions provider for small and medium businesses through our UTM solutions. Dell's phenomenal breadth and reach into small and midsize companies provides a significant opportunity to expand our customer base." Return to SVDaily Home Page © Copyright SVDaily.com

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