CenturyLink Acquires Security Services Firm netAura

**Editor’s Note: Please click here for a recap of the biggest channel-impacting mergers in Jan.-Feb. 2015.**

CenturyLink on Wednesday announced it has acquired netAura, a firm that focuses on engineering, developing and consulting on managed security technologies.

Herndon, Virginia-based netAura has worked extensively with U.S. government agencies and corporations on cybersecurity, security information and event management (SIEM), analytics and vulnerability management since it was founded in 2011.

Financial details regarding the acquisition were not disclosed.

Tim Kelleher, CenturyLink’s vice president of IT security services, tells Channel Partners the acquisition creates new opportunities for CenturyLink’s partners.

“netAura strengthens and enhances CenturyLink’s managed security services capabilities,” he said. “CenturyLink’s Managed Security Services Suite (announced Feb. 25) is available to the channel and for private businesses to resell. netAura adds value in security consulting and implementation services that deepens our managed security services expertise. It also enables CenturyLink to continue developing … IT security solutions by combining CenturyLink’s strong security solutions with netAura’s strengths in managed security, consulting and SIEM.”

netAura has its own partners, and some may become part of the CenturyLink ecosystem, “but nothing has been determined as of yet,” Kelleher said.{ad}

“The acquisition has closed already (March 18),” he said. “netAura employees are becoming part of CenturyLink’s security services organization, led by myself, and I report up to Girish Varma, president, global IT services and new market development, CenturyLink.”

CenturyLink provides broadband, voice, video, data and managed services over a 250,000-route-mile U.S. fiber network and a 300,000-route-mile international transport network.