Oracle is acquiring Secerno, an Oxford, UK-based provider of database firewall solutions for Oracle and non-Oracle databases. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed, and Oracle expects the transaction to close before the end of June 2010.
Until the deal closes, each company will continue to operate independently.
Secerno’s solution adds a critical defensive layer of security around databases, which blocks unauthorized activity in real-time. With the purchase, Oracle intends to enhance its portfolio of database security solutions, including Oracle Advanced Security, Oracle Database Vault and Oracle Audit Vault to “further ensure data privacy, protect against threats, and enable regulatory compliance”.
Andrew Mendelsohn, senior vice president, Oracle Database Server Technologies, said:
“Secerno’s database firewall product acts as a first line of defense against external threats and unauthorized internal access with a protective perimeter around Oracle and non-Oracle databases. Together, Oracle’s complete set of database security solutions and Secerno’s technology will provide customers with the ability to safeguard their critical business information.”
There’s another link: Secerno’s CEO, Steve Hurn, worked at Oracle between 1994 and 2000, where heheld seats both on the board of Oracle UK & Ireland and on the EMEA Partner Board. Before Secerno, Hurn was Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing at OSS company Cramer Systems, which was acquired by Amdocs in 2006.
Secerno raised a $16 million Series B round back in July 2008 from Amadeus Capital Partners and prior backers Eden Ventures and Spark Ventures. It’s unclear how much the company raised in it first-round funding / in total.
More information in the FAQ (PDF), this presentation (PDF) and the open letter to partners and customers.