Fine, one more update, let’s call it the May the Fourth update. What’s six weeks between friends – Sectigo, finally, officially, actually on their site, announces the acquisition of SiteLock. It’s almost verbatim from the release I published five weeks ago.
Finally! As of April 9, I have official public confirmation of the acquisition of SiteLock by Sectigo. I really can’t fathom the press rollout of this acquisition since it’s been weeks since rumors started and then followed by the Google cache press release. This notification actually comes via an email from SiteLock to existing customers, there are still no announcements in the news and press release sections of Sectigo or SiteLock.
The important portion of the email reads, “I’m writing to share some exciting news! SiteLock has been acquired by Sectigo, a leader in the Certificate Authority and Automated PKI Management space (www.sectigo.com). This partnership will give you even more choices as a reseller, and we’re confident you will benefit immensely from the combination of our two companies.”
There you have it, Sectigo acquires SiteLock, first reported at RobertJacobi.com.
As reported initially March 24, I can now confirm the Sectigo acquisition of SiteLock. A cached press release is was available at Google dated March 31. As of publication it is unknown why this was posted and subsequently removed. Below is the cached post in its entirety.
BigScoots: Personal. Expert. Always There. That’s Real Managed Hosting.
Sectigo Acquires SiteLock, Solidifying Its Market-Leading Position in Web Security
Move Extends Companies’ Sales Reach and Advances Technologies to Combat Rising Cyberattacks on Websites
Sectigo®, a global provider of automated digital identity management and web security solutions, today announced the acquisition of SiteLock, a leading provider of website security protection and monitoring, as well as SiteLock’s Patchman division, a Dutch web security company that automatically detects and patches vulnerabilities for hosting providers.
By acquiring SiteLock and Patchman, Sectigo expands its product capabilities, partner network, and reach to more than 16 million websites currently protected by Sitelock. The combined organization establishes a commanding market leadership position in web security.
Global demand for advanced web security is at an all-time high, particularly in an era of remote work and increasingly frequent and complex cyberattacks. Sales of the Sectigo Web Security Platform grew nearly 40% in the 2H of 2020, demonstrating that businesses are making increased investments to improve their website security and ensure business continuity. The new Sectigo State of Website Security and Threat Report found that 20% of SMBs surveyed have experienced a breach in the past year alone. Thirty seven percent of those breached concede that they had some form of website security in place at the time—underscoring the need for more comprehensive solutions.
“SiteLock is a widely recognized and trusted brand for website security among customers and partners globally,” explained Michael Fowler, President of Partners and Channel, Sectigo. “Businesses are facing more frequent and sophisticated web-based attacks, often overwhelming website owners and crippling their business. By combining Sitelock and Sectigo products’ strengths, we are providing an unmatched, automated website security solution backed by two of the largest brands and experts in the market.”
“As a recognized leader in innovative cybersecurity solutions for both enterprises and small businesses, we are energized by the opportunity to join Sectigo’s rapidly expanding global organization,” said Tom Serani, Chief Channel Officer, SiteLock. “Now, as part of the trusted Sectigo organization, we will continue to develop and deliver best-in-class security solutions that safeguard businesses worldwide.”
SiteLock is Sectigo’s fifth acquisition completed during the past three years. Sectigo strengthened its enterprise security platform in 2019 with the addition of Icon Labs’ IoT security technology, and acquired CodeGuard, a website backup and recovery company for SMBs in mid-2018. In fall 2020, the company acquired SSL247, the biggest SSL certificate and web security provider in the UK and France, and Xolphin, the largest provider of SSL certificates and digital signatures in the Netherlands, to extend its sales reach and support for the company’s leading SSL certificate solutions.
With this acquisition, which includes SiteLock’s Patchman division, Sectigo’s global organization will grow to more than 450 employees worldwide. The SiteLock brand will remain intact and operate independently from its current Scottsdale, AZ location. SiteLock will now be known as SiteLock, “A Sectigo Company,” a separate business unit within Sectigo Ltd.
More information about the acquisition is available to customers and partners on the SiteLock website.
About SiteLock
SiteLock is a leader in comprehensive cybersecurity solutions for organizations. Its cloud-based, enterprise-grade technologies and deep expertise give organizations of any size access to the same security capabilities the biggest companies use to protect their data, ensure secure communications and defend their websites. SiteLock offers effective, affordable and accessible solutions to automatically detect and fix threats, prevent future cyberattacks, enable unrestricted and safe communications, and meet compliance standards. Founded in 2008, the company protects more than 16 million organizations worldwide.
About Sectigo
Sectigo is a leading cybersecurity provider of digital identity solutions, including TLS / SSL certificates, DevOps, IoT, and enterprise-grade PKI management, as well as multi-layered web security. As a leading Certificate Authority (CA) with more than 700,000 customers and over 20 years of online trust experience, Sectigo partners with organizations of all sizes to deliver automated public and private PKI solutions to secure web servers and user access, connected devices, and applications. Recognized for its award-winning innovation and best-in-class global customer support, Sectigo has the proven performance needed to secure the digital landscape of today and tomorrow. For more information, visit www.sectigo.com and follow @SectigoHQ.
Previous reporting:
Since there has been a bunch of real-time editing and updating, I thought I’d actually write a clearer outline of what’s been going on with Sectigo acquiring SiteLock. Wednesday, March 24, sources reached out to say that Sectigo acquired SiteLock. To say that the sources were trusted would be an understatement, and I’ve never published anything that is complete speculation as news. I held the story while I reached out to both Sectigo and SiteLock. Since this was super breaking I was loath to waste too much time but contacts at both firms received emails and/or text messages during their respective business hours. After waiting for approximately one hour with no comments, I published the story as seen in the original post from March 24 below. Still no comments.
Sunday March 28 arrives, and then multiple sources confirm the acquisition. No one will go on the record, and I’ve reached out to Sectigo and SiteLock for comment again. This deal has happened, has closed, and it will be interesting to see how this shakes up the website security markets.
One more thing, CIO Neill Feather has left SiteLock.
Previous Posts
Update, March 28, 2021: I can now 100% confirm that the SiteLock deal has closed. Financial details as well as whether GI Partners or Sectigo is the acquiring party are not yet known. I’m leaning to a direct acquisition by Sectigo.
Original post, March 24, 2021: I don’t normally go out on a limb like this but sources say that SiteLock has been acquired by Sectigo (formerly Comodo). This could also mean that GI Partners has done the acquisition to add to their large portfolio. That Sectigo and SiteLock are sharing a booth at CloudFest 2021 also lends credence to what I’m hearing from sources.
This is a breaking story, updates to follow, requests for comments as of publication have not be returned.