HP Acquires Vitualization based Security Firm Bromium

HP Inc. recently announced the acquisition of virtualization-based endpoint security startup, Bromium. The financial terms of acquisition were not disclosed.

California based Bromium was founded in the year 2011 by the former Citrix Executives. The company is specialized in deploying virtualization-based security to segregate browser-based attacks, malicious downloads, email attachments and other applications in unique, hardware-enforced micro-virtual machines, the announcement notes.

HP Sure Click Advanced is powered by Bromium’s application isolation technology. Pre-installed with select HP PCs, HP Sure Click Advanced is an extension of HP Sure Click.

Sure Click prevents malware from leaving browser tabs and reaching the PC, with the help of isolated untrusted files and websites in a virtual container.

Executive Opinion

GM and Global Head of Commercial Systems at HP, Andy Rhodes, said, "Security is a key competitive differentiator for HP, providing the most secure PCs and printers on the market. The acquisition of Bromium extends our investments, leadership, and focus in this space and securing endpoint devices that are on the front lines of defense against cybersecurity attacks."

The HP and Bromium deal

HP has been licensing Bromium technology for Sure Click since early 2017, and the partnership was expanded in the month of March this year with the launch of the Sure Click Advanced solution for the HP’s Device as a Service offering.

HP has been aggressive in the previous years in deploying on-device security in both the printers and PCs.
To offer greater technical, marketing and sales support to its channel partners, Bromium revealed, in May 2018, that it was updating its partner strategy to realign its product roadmap and field organizations.

Along with the Sure Click, HP also provides security capabilities to protect against the threats, which include the unknown malware, visual hacking, and BIOS attacks.

Bromium will join HP's broader platform and complement HP’s existing security platform to protect against advanced attacks while providing real-time threat intelligence, the announcement notes.