Microsoft Acquires Data Protection Firm Secure Islands

Another week, another acquisition. Microsoft has confirmed that it has purchased Israel-based security company Secure Islands. As part of the deal, Microsoft will integrate Secure Islands' technology into Microsoft's Azure Rights Management Service. Neither company has disclosed financial details of the buyout.

While Secure Islands may not sound such a familiar name among consumers, the company has previously worked with several giants such as Vodafone, UBS, and Credit Suisse. The company offers data classification, protection, and loss prevention technologies across file types. It has been working with Microsoft for quite some time, most recently on the company's Azure Rights Management Service.

"Throughout our journey, we've helped organizations achieve persistent data protection without compromising user productivity," the team at Secure Islands wrote in a blog post. "Our solutions have enabled organizations worldwide to classify and protect data throughout its lifecycle and now, by joining Microsoft, we will have the opportunity to help many more customers seamlessly protect and share their sensitive information."

"This acquisition accelerates our ability to help customers secure their business data no matter where it is stored - across on-premises systems, Microsoft cloud services like Azure and Office 365, third-party services, and any Windows, iOS or Android device," Microsoft wrote in a blog post.

Microsoft may have spent as much as $77.5 million on the buyout, ZDNet reports. As part of the deal, Secure Islands will continue to offer its services to its other clients. The acquisition of Secure Islands makes it the fifth Israeli company that the Redmond, Washington-based software giant has acquired just this year. The other companies that Microsoft has acquired are Adallom, Aorato, Equivio, and N-Trig prior.