Google LLC announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Virginia-based cybersecurity firm Mandiant.
The proposed purchase is anticipated to be an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $5.4bn, inclusive of Mandiant’s net cash.
As expected, Mandiant will become part of Google Cloud if the acquisition closes later this year. Google said the deal would complement Google Cloud’s existing strengths in security, allowing it to deliver an end-to-end security operations suite “with even greater capabilities” to support its customers across more than 200 countries and territories.
Mandiant was founded as Red Cliff Consulting in 2004 by former United States Air Force officer Kevin Mandia, who serves as the company’s CEO. Mandiant assumed its current moniker in a 2006 rebranding.
FireEye acquired Mandiant in December 2013, but the company was demerged in 2021.
Mandiant’s more than 600 consultants specialize in investigating cyber-attacks and responding to security breaches.
“Cybersecurity is a mission, and we believe it’s one of the most important of our generation. Google Cloud shares our mission-driven culture to bring security to every organization,” said Kevin Mandia.
“Together, we will deliver our expertise and intelligence at scale via the Mandiant Advantage SaaS platform, as part of the Google Cloud security portfolio. These efforts will help organizations to effectively, efficiently and continuously manage and configure their complex mix of security products.”
Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, said: “Organizations around the world are facing unprecedented cybersecurity challenges as the sophistication and severity of attacks that were previously used to target major governments are now being used to target companies in every industry.”
He added that by joining forces, Mandiant and Google Cloud could work to secure the cloud and accelerate the adoption of cloud computing.
“The Mandiant brand is synonymous with unmatched insights for organizations seeking to keep themselves secure in a constantly changing environment,” said Kurian. “This is an opportunity to deliver an end-to-end security operations suite and extend one of the best consulting organizations in the world.”
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC is acting as an exclusive financial advisor, and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati P.C. is acting as legal advisor to Mandiant.