Acquisition of Leading Technology Supports SAP’s Commitment to Comprehensive Product Security
WALLDORF, Germany and EMMETTEN, Switzerland — SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) and SECUDE AG today announced that SAP will acquire security software, identity and access management software, as well as relevant assets including development and consulting resources from SECUDE. As a result of this transaction, SAP will acquire Secure Login and Enterprise Single Sign-On, and will roll these into its product portfolio. With this acquisition SAP can provide customers secure client-server communications without the need for third-party offerings. Despite the partial divestiture, SECUDE will continue to operate as an independent business with focus on FinallySecure, a data protection portfolio of solutions and products.
The acquisition of key solutions from this leading technology provider underlines SAP’s commitment to investing in product security for its customers and users. With the addition of the Secure Login and Enterprise Single Sign-On products, SAP further fulfills a key customer requirement by shipping its solutions with default security software. The security of a customer’s IT environment will be enhanced as a result of encrypted communication paths that are pre-configured after installation at customer sites, reducing TCO and administrative efforts for the customer.
“We are very pleased that, in closing this transaction, SAP is not only in a position to satisfy our customers’ security requirements, but also to expand the SAP NetWeaver Identity Management component to include Secure Login Server and Enterprise Single Sign-On,” said Björn Goerke, senior vice president, Technology and Innovation Platform Core, SAP.
Going forward, SAP will provide a basic version of SECUDE’s Secure Login to its current customer base and as an essential part of all new releases — at no additional cost to customers. As a further benefit to customers, SAP will invite security specialists in development and consulting to join the company, to complement and strengthen its capability to provide consultancy for security-related topics.
Customers face threats to the integrity and security of their business scenarios as a result of increased cyber crime and owing to targeted attacks on business data from hackers. The acquisition of SECUDE’s Secure Login and Enterprise Single Sign-On further enables SAP to meet these challenges by helping ensure communication security for all enterprises. For customers, this results in enhanced security for their internal IT environments through the implementation of a simplified and secure login for users.
SECUDE founder and CEO Dr. Heiner Kromer said, “I am very pleased that SECUDE’s deep expertise as a world leader in the field of security technology will now be available to SAP’s vast customer base. This deal is a significant one, especially considering the role security plays in ensuring compliance and strict governance for businesses.”
The transaction between SAP and SECUDE is expected to close on or about February 1, 2011. The release date to customers of Secure Login is scheduled for the second quarter of 2011. The acquisition of SECUDE’s two premium security products helps ensure secure connections to all SAP systems for customers and the opportunity to establish single sign on and identity federation into any user interface and legacy system.
Based in Emmetten, Switzerland, SECUDE is a leading global provider of IT security software products, solutions and consulting to enterprises and government organizations. Privately held, it was founded in 1996 on the strength of a partnership between SAP AG and the Fraunhofer Institute, one of Europe’s leading research institutes. SECUDE has operations in United Arab Emirates, Hungary, Singapore, United States, India, Vietnam and China, and employs 150 people worldwide.
About SECUDE
Founded in 1996, SECUDE is a global leader providing innovative IT security software solutions and consulting to enterprises and governmental organizations to meet legal requirements and to enforce corporate governance. SECUDE’s core security know-how (key-, access-, and authorizations management in business processes) enables it to implement risk management solutions in the most effective way to improve customer performance and financial stability. For more information, visit www.secude.com.
About SAP
SAP is the world’s leading provider of business software(*), offering applications and services that enable companies of all sizes and in more than 25 industries to become best-run businesses. With more than 105,000 customers in over 120 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE, under the symbol “SAP.” For more information, visit www.sap.com.
(*) SAP defines business software as comprising enterprise resource planning, business intelligence, and related applications.
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