http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=security&articleId=9003490 By Robert McMillan September 20, 2006 IDG News Service Managed security services companies SecureWorks Inc. and LURHQ Corp. have merged. The combined company is known as SecureWorks and is based in Atlanta. SecureWorks chief executive Mike Cote remains as CEO and former LURHQ CEO Tony Prince will be executive vice president responsible for product development. The companies sell consulting services to corporations that are looking for outside security expertise to help lock down their networks. SecureWorks is best known for managing intrusion prevention products, which protect the network from outside attacks. LURHQ is focused on monitoring internal threats with its Security Information and Event Monitoring service. The combined company has 1,500 clients and manages 5,000 security devices worldwide. "The markets and the technologies are very complementary," said Prince. Over the past few years, however, it has become increasingly difficult for smaller companies to compete in the security space as customers turn to larger vendors like AT&T Inc., VeriSign Inc. or IBM Corp. looking for more comprehensive products. Last month IBM announced plans to acquire SecureWorks competitor Internet Security Systems. Now, SecureWorks will have a better chance of competing, said Sandra Palumbo, a senior analyst with Yankee Group Research Inc. "They are competing in a pretty crowded market and in some cases size does matter," she said. "It definitely is a merger that makes a lot of sense." Only four positions are expected to be eliminated as a result of the deal, which closed Friday. The combined company now has about 200 employees, SecureWorks said. SecureWorks made headlines recently when one of its researchers, David Maynor, claimed to have found a way to take control of an MacBook by exploiting a flaw in a wireless card. In a video, Maynor and another security researcher named Jon Ellch demonstrated the hack using an undisclosed third-party wireless card, but claimed that Apple Computer Inc. was also affected by the vulnerability. An Apple spokeswoman later claimed that Maynor and Ellch had "not shared or demonstrated any code," relating to this flaw that was "relevant to the hardware and software that we ship." SecureWorks declined to comment further on the Apple matter. _________________________________ Visit the InfoSec News store! http://www.shopinfosecnews.org
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