Symantec completes £420m Altiris acquisition

The deal that saw endpoint security company Altiris being snapped up by IT security firm Symantec has finally completed.

The acquisition was first announced on 29 January, when Symantec said that it was buying the company for $830m (420m). Altiris shareholders will receive $33 per share of common stock in cash.

Stockholders voted at a special meeting at Altiris headquarters in Lindon, Utah to approve the deal. Upon completion of the acquisition, Altiris shares will cease trading on Nasdaq.

Symantec said that the tie-up would add a key component to its network access control (NAC) technology.

"What I find most exciting about this transaction is that it immediately leverages our respective core strengths - Symantec's extensive expertise in endpoint security, compliance and backup and Altiris' expertise in endpoint management and remediation," said Symantec chief executive John Thompson at a presentation in January. "Combined, our solutions will create what we believe will be the most comprehensive endpoint suite available."

Rene Millman

Rene Millman is a freelance writer and broadcaster who covers cybersecurity, AI, IoT, and the cloud. He also works as a contributing analyst at GigaOm and has previously worked as an analyst for Gartner covering the infrastructure market. He has made numerous television appearances to give his views and expertise on technology trends and companies that affect and shape our lives. You can follow Rene Millman on Twitter.