Add as a preferred source on Google


News

Microsoft Completes Whale Acquisition

In a move meant to strengthen its enterprise security message, Microsoft said this week it has completed the acquisition of a leading secure access software firm.

Completion of the deal adds Whale Communications' products to Microsoft's burgeoning security and access line. High on the list, according to Microsoft statements, is the Fort Lee, N.J. firm's Intelligent Application Gateway.

That package combines Whale's secure sockets layer (SSL)-based access and application protection technologies with Microsoft's Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server, the statement said.

Whale specializes in providing products for SSL virtual private networking security and access, especially for unmanaged devices such as remote laptops. The companies announced the then-pending purchase in mid-May.

While Microsoft has not said specifically where in its product lines the Whale products and technologies will end up, the statement clearly hinted they would be merged into Microsoft's recently announced Forefront brand.

All of Whale's products, including the Intelligent Application Gateway, remain available through Whale and its global partner channel as well as Microsoft sales professionals. As a promotion, the company is discounting Intelligent Gateway and any add-on modules by 25 percent between now and the end of the year.

About the Author

Stuart J. Johnston has covered technology, especially Microsoft, since February 1988 for InfoWorld, Computerworld, Information Week, and PC World, as well as for Enterprise Developer, XML & Web Services, and .NET magazines.

Featured

  • Microsoft Dismantles RedVDS Cybercrime Marketplace Linked to $40M in Phishing Fraud

    In a coordinated action spanning the United States and the United Kingdom, Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) and international law enforcement collaborators have taken down RedVDS, a subscription based cybercrime platform tied to an estimated $40 million in fraud losses in the U.S. since March 2025.

  • Sound Wave Illustration

    CrowdStrike's Acquisition of SGNL Aims to Strengthen Identity Security

    CrowdStrike signs definitive agreement to purchase SGNL, an identity security specialist, in a deal valued at about $740 million.

  • Microsoft Acquires Osmos, Automating Data Engineering inside Fabric

    In a strategic move to reduce time-consuming manual data preparation, Microsoft has acquired Seattle-based startup Osmos, specializing in agentic AI for data engineering.

  • Linux Foundation Unites Major Tech Firms to Launch Agentic AI Foundation

    The Linux Foundation today announced the creation of a new collaborative initiative — the Agentic AI Foundation (AAIF) — bringing together major AI and cloud players such as Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic and other major tech companies.

Most   Popular