Codiscope: Synopsys Acquires Cigital, Codiscope to Bolster Security Portfolio

Once the deals close, Synopsys expects to take advantage of both the companies' workforces and products. Synopsys, a technology development vendor that has multiple divisions ranging from silicon to software, announced on Nov. 7 that it is acquiring privately held security companies Cigital and Codiscope.Financial terms of the deal are not being publicly disclosed, though Synopsys expects the acquisitions to close by next month.Cigital provides application security testing and software security services; Codiscope is a spinoff from Cigital, providing security tools. Among Codiscope's products is Jack, a cloud-based tool for helping developers build secure applications. Synopsys is."Synopsys is in the process of developing a brand strategy and go-forward plan that will be implemented after the acquisitions close," Andreas Kuehlmann, senior vice president and general manager of the Synopsys Software Integrity Group, told eWEEK. "Cigital and Codiscope have built strong reputations and brands in the cyber-security domain, and we intend to leverage those strengths as we integrate the organizations." A key element of the acquisitions are the Cigital and Codiscope employees, as the highly skilled workforces will help Synopsys grow its security platform and business, Kuehlmann said. Until the acquisitions close, Synopsys will operate the two companies as separate entities and there will be no changes for Cigital and Codiscope customers, he added. The acquisitions will also add complementary products and services to Synopsys' portfolio, according to Kuehlmann."Synopsys is strategically aligned with Cigital and Codiscope, with a shared vision of building security into the software development life cycle and across the cyber supply chain," he said.To do so, Synopsys' plan after the deals close is to strategically integrate Cigital and Codiscope products and services into its Software Integrity Platform, according to Kuehlmann."After these acquisitions close, we'll work closely with their leadership to ensure minimal disruption and business continuity and as we enter this exciting new phase in the evolution of our business," he said.Cigital and Codiscope are just the latest security vendors that Synopsys has acquired in recent years. In 2014, for example, Synopsys acquired static code analysis vendor Coverity in a $334 million deal."The integration of Coverity has been very successful, as have the integrations of the other security vendors we've acquired since then-Codenomicon, Seeker, Protecode and Goanna," Kuehlmann said. "We're very pleased with the progress of the Software Integrity Group, and we intend to apply the lessons we've learned from past acquisitions to ensure a smooth integration for Cigital and Codiscope."Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at eWEEK and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.