The operation, which was initially scheduled for completion “in early 2024”, was described as a “major turning point” for Thales. Therefore, months in advance, the technology and defense group acquired the American company Imperva, valued at 3.6 billion euros. Thales thus becomes “one of the five world leaders” in cybersecurity.
This is the second largest acquisition in Thales’ history after the takeover bid of smart card specialist Gemalto (€4.8 billion in 2019). It will increase its cybersecurity turnover to 2.4 billion euros per year “and double-digit growth is expected thereafter,” according to Thales. It currently stands at €1.6 billion, or a tenth of the group’s total activity last year.
Based in San Mateo (California), Imperva obtained “more than $500 million in annual revenue” in its last financial year and employs “more than 1,400 people,” according to the group. The company is “a leader in cybersecurity that protects critical applications, APIs (software interfaces, editor’s note) and data at scale,” explains Thales.
The French group has increased its acquisitions in the field of cybersecurity in recent months, in particular with the Australian Tesserent, the Spanish S21sec, the Luxembourg Excellium and the Dutch OneWelcome.
Source: BFM TV
