Dell Announces Intent to Acquire Security Company SonicWALL

Dell has announced its intention to buy network security and data protection vendor SonicWALL, a move that further rounds out Dell’s technology lineup in the networking and data center space.

Details of the acquisition will be discussed during a conference call slated at 11 a.m. Eastern March 13, but in the release announcing the acquisition Dell noted SonicWALL’s technology, including its Next-Generation Firewall and Unified Threat Management (UTM) Firewall technologies, “complement Dell’s security solutions portfolio, enabling it to offer customers a broader range of enterprise offerings.”

Not mentioned: SonicWall could give Dell’s channel partners some recurring revenue opportunities in the managed services market.

The SonicWALL deal is the latest in a line of acquisitions designed to bolster Dell’s security portfolio, which includes Dell SecureWorks security services, cloud security solutions and data encryption solutions (all culled from its 2011 acquisition of SecureWorks), as well as its Dell KACE vulnerability and patch management (culled from its 2010 acquisition of KACE). SonicWALL will bring to Dell’s table a plethora of enterprise-focused security solutions including firewalls, secure remote access, email security, backup and recovery, and policy, management and reporting.

Although the terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed, according to the press release the transaction was approved by the board of directors of each company and is expected to close in the second quarter of Dell’s FY13.