Microsoft Confirms Acquisition of Israel-Based Cyber Security Firm Secure Islands

Microsoft already uses Secure Islands for data protection within Azure Rights Management Service, its cloud-based information protection service. The acquisition is still subject to regulatory approval but, if approved, it will mark the third Microsoft acquisition of an Israeli security firm in the previous year. Microsoft said in a statement that Secure Islands will continue to provide support to existing customers going forward, though didn't provide specifics about what that would look like.

Secure Island technology will be slipped into the Azure Rights Management Service, to provide insight into data protection and compliance. Secure Islands is an Israeli security company offering "advanced information protection solutions", says Microsoft, and through the acquisition it will help Microsoft business customers secure their sensitive data. "These new capabilities, combined with the data classification in Windows and Office 365, will provide our customers with the industry's most comprehensive data protection solution". For current Secure Islands customers, it's business as usual. This certainly isn't the first Israeli company that Microsoft has acquired - this past September, for example, the company nabbed Adallom, another security company. "By joining Microsoft, we will be able to extend and expand our vision", remarked Aki Eldar, CEO of Secure Islands, in a brief blog post devoted to the deal. This means customers can apply data protection across more applications.

The service works with the help of the company's Data Interceptor, which automatically inspects documents upon creation, converts them to the creator's designated classification, encrypts them and then adds usage rights based on the user's policies. While company officials declined to comment on how much Microsoft paid for the data-security firm, sources familiar with the matter said the purchase price was around $77.5 million.