HP Acquires Bromium for Endpoint Device Security

HP Inc. on Friday said it’s buying Bromium, the maker of virtualization-based security, as a complement and enhancement to its existing security platform. 

Bromium is a young endpoint security vendor founded in 2010. The company’s microvirtualization-based technology uses a Xen-based security-focused hypervisor called the Bromium Microvisor and takes advantage of hardware features built into Intel and AMD CPUs to run each task in a single-use hardware-isolated container. This isolation protects against browser-based attacks, malicious downloads, email attachments and other applications. 

Bromium’s Andy Rhodes

“Security is a key competitive differentiator for HP, providing the most secure PCs and printers on the market,” said Andy Rhodes, general manager and global head of commercial systems at HP. “The acquisition of Bromium extends our investments, leadership and focus in this space and security endpoint devices that are on the front lines of defense against cyber security attacks.” 

HP isn’t new to doing business with Bromium. It licenses Bromium technology and leverages it for its Sure Click solutions, designed to isolate key applications in their own virtual containers trapping any malware and deleting it as soon as the user closes the application. 

Bromium this month published its most recent Threat Insights Report, which looks at the malware threats and emerging trends that Bromium Labs observed in July and August. 

Just last month, HP announced that Dion Weisler, the company’s president and CEO since 2015, was stepping down and returning to Australia due to a family health matter and Enrique Lores, president of HP’s imaging, printing and solutions business was taking his place. 

Weisler joined HP in 2012 and added approximately $7 billion in annual revenue. Lores launched his tenure at HP 30 years ago as an engineering intern. Over the past year, Lores has worked with the HP board on a comprehensive global review of the company’s strategy and business operations focusing on simplification of its operating model and driving improvement in its cost structure while making the company more digitally enabled and customer-centric. 

According to HP’s third-quarter earnings, company revenue was $14.6 billion, up 2%.