Google has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Wiz, a cloud security platform headquartered in New York, for US$32 billion in an all-cash transaction.
This is still subject to closing adjustments but once done, Wiz will join Google Cloud.
This acquisition represents an investment by Google Cloud to accelerate two large and growing trends in artificial intelligence — improved cloud security and the ability to use multiple clouds (multi-cloud).
Google noted that both cybersecurity and cloud computing are rapidly growing industries with a vast range of solutions.
The increased role of AI, and adoption of cloud services, have dramatically changed the security landscape for customers, making cybersecurity increasingly important in defending against emergent risks and protecting national security.
Wiz delivers an easy-to-use security platform that connects to all major clouds and code environments to help prevent cybersecurity incidents.
Firms of all sizes — from start-ups and large enterprises to governments and public sector organisations — can use Wiz to protect everything they build and run in the cloud.
Over the last 12 months, Wiz has begun to deliver new categories of cybersecurity solutions.
Google expects that bringing Google Cloud’s AI expertise to Wiz will help make their solutions even better and more scalable, benefiting customers and partners across all major clouds.
The combination of Google Cloud and Wiz is expected to vastly improve how security is designed, operated and automated — providing an end-to-end security platform for customers, of all types and sizes, in the AI era.
The merger is also expected to scale cybersecurity teams by providing them an automated security platform; and lower customers’ cost of implementing and managing security controls.
The union is also expected to protect against new threats emerging due to the advancement of AI, prevent breaches, and help organisations respond to breaches much more efficiently; and boost the adoption of multi-cloud security and, as a result, customers’ ability to use multiple clouds; further spurring innovation in and the adoption of cloud computing.
Wiz’s products will continue to work and be available across all major clouds, including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Oracle Cloud platforms, and will be offered to customers through an array of partner security solutions.
