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Looks like this is the way business is heading, especially in the software sector. As led by the giants Microsoft<\/a>, acquisition is the way to get new and innovative software without having to produce it yourself!<\/p>\n Sunbelt Blog<\/a> is one of the few we actually link to in the sidebar and also read regularly.<\/p>\n They always have some interesting and generally fairly technical analysis of malware<\/a> attacks and other intrusions.<\/p>\n Mail security and software utilties company GFI Software has bought independent US antivirus company Sunbelt Software for an undisclosed sum.<\/p>\n GFI already offers a range of security products that use third-party antivirus engines from companies such as Kaspersky and BitDefender to make up the scanning element of its mostly SME-oriented products such as the GFI MailDefense suite. The Sunbelt Software buy gives the company access to an antivirus engine of its own for the first time.<\/p>\n GFI will now integrate Sunbelt’s heavily revised ‘Vipre’ detection technology across the range of its own products. The software has a good reputation for innovation and was rewritten from the ground up just over a year ago.<\/p>\n “We were impressed by the high quality and innovative technology that underlies Sunbelt’s Vipre line of products and immediately saw strong synergies between the two companies,” said GFI CEO, Walter Scott. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n Both GFI<\/a> and Sunbelt have some great software and services so I’d say this is a good integration for the industry. Plus it will give Sunbelt a lot more resources to develop it’s Vipre product and can probably make some improvements to GFI LANGuard<\/a> too.<\/p>\n GFI will also get its hands on a malware detection engine that is already licensed to third-parties, generating standalone revenue of its own. Increasingly, merely selling antivirus and anti-malware is only one part of a business that depends on third-party licensing to stay afloat.<\/p>\n Sunbelt also has a distribution business, which is not part of the sale and will remain a separate entity, GFI said.<\/p>\n Smaller, independent antivirus companies selling out has been a steady trend, and is set to continue. The cash needed to keep development and marketing on track is getting harder to sustain at a time when free antivirus from Microsoft and others is taking away sales. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n And the article raises an important point too, with Microsoft pushing out more and more free anti-virus and anti-malware solutions plus a lot of other free software becoming more visible (products like Avast and Avira are free for home use) it’s making it harder for anti-virus software developers to make a living.<\/p>\n That’s why being acquired by a larger company with a wider range of products and services can help a lot.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n