Google in Talks to Acquire Mandiant

Google is in talks to acquire with Mandiant to bolster its cloud security efforts, according to a report by The Information. The deal is expected to help Google Cloud compete with Microsoft Azure in the cloud computing space.

Of the three major cloud providers, Microsoft has an advantage in how security products are bundled into the cloud services including storage, computing, and productivity, The Information reports.

Google has been making some moves recently to expand Google Cloud's security capabilities. Chronicle, a security analytics platform that monitors the flow of data across PCs, devices, and networks to detect cyberattacks, became part of Google Cloud in mid-2019. In January, the company acquired threat-response startup Siemplify.

In early February, Bloomberg News said Microsoft was interested in the company. That is no longer the case, as a new Bloomberg News says Microsoft pulled out of the discussions more than a week ago.

Mandiant, which has a market value of just under $4.5 billion, was under the FireEye umbrella until last year, when FireEye sold the security product business for $1.2 billion to a consortium led by Symphony Technology Group. FireEye Products merged with McAfee Enterprise, and what was left of FireEye rebranded as Mandiant. FireEye originally acquired Mandiant back in 2013.

If this deal goes through, it may be Google's second-largest acquisition. Google's largest deal so far was the $12.5 billion deal for Motorola Mobility in 2012.