SecureWorks Acquires UK-based dns Limited

SecureWorks continued its managed security services empire building this week with its second major acquisition in six months by picking up UK-based dns Limited for an undisclosed sum. The purchase of this 10-year-old managed security services and consulting firm follows hot on the heels of SecureWork’s July acquisition of VeriSign’s Managed Security Services division for $45 million.

The new assets offered by dns give Atlanta-based SecureWorks a stronger foothold in Europe and the UK. With a lean team of under 100 staffers and offices in London and Edinburgh, this 10-year-old company brought in over $12 million in 2008. As of this summer, it claimed to be growing three times faster than the rest of the managed security market in the UK.

In addition to geographic strengths in EMEA and a services and consulting knowledge base that spans across all aspects of security, dns brings SecureWorks a particularly strong practice in Identity and Access Management. The company’s mature IAM service has a history of tackling large-scale projects with some topping one million users.

“This is a positive move for both SecureWorks and dns and our combined client base,” Mike Cote, chairman and CEO of SecureWorks, said in a statement about the buy.   “We believe in maintaining long-term relationships with our clients and working side by side as their security partner. With such similar values and business objectives, I believe we have chosen the perfect company to acquire as we continue our global expansion.” 

Founded in 1999,  SecureWorks began its major ascendancy in the managed security service provider (MSSP) market with its 2006 merger with LURHQ. The new buy now brings the company’s client tally up to 2,700 spanning across six continents. The company depends on a wide network of reseller partners and service provider partners who license SecureWorks’ MSP platform for whitelabeling.

According to Frost and Sullivan, the North American MSSP market grew by 12 percent in 2008 and is expected to increase another 14 percent this year. By 2015, Frost and Sullivan expects this market to tip the scales at $2.4 billion.