CUPERTINO, Calif. -- Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq:SYMC - News) today announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Sygate Technologies, a technology leader in endpoint compliance solutions. Sygate's technology will complement Symantec's presence on the endpoint to create a holistic solution to address the security, compliance, and remediation requirements of today's large enterprises. The acquisition is expected to close shortly after receiving customary regulatory approvals.

"Securing the 'endpoints' of a corporate network is a challenge that affects all enterprises," said Chris Christiansen, vice president of security products and services, IDC. "Companies are looking for integrated offerings that can both protect the network and ensure that endpoints are compliant with security policies. This acquisition will give customers a complete endpoint compliance solution while helping to reduce complexity and cost."

Endpoint compliance solutions help enterprise organizations enforce security by guaranteeing that all devices connected to a network -- desktops, laptops, servers, and mobile devices -- are running the appropriate security solutions, are configured correctly, and possess up-to-date patches. Symantec will now be able to help businesses enforce business policies and automate security practices to regain control of network security, reduce costs, and ensure compliance across the organization.

"It is critical to have an endpoint compliance solution that will allow companies to leverage their existing IT infrastructure to control the myriad devices connecting to the network," said Enrique Salem, senior vice president, Security Products and Solutions at Symantec. "A recognized leader in endpoint compliance, Sygate provides the first universal network access control system designed to protect the entire enterprise network -- from mobile devices to servers to unmanaged devices. The fact that their technology is built on industry standards means that companies don't have to implement expensive infrastructure changes to deploy this solution."

For more than five years, enterprise customers have turned to Sygate to automate the process of discovering endpoints, determining their compliance with security policies, enforcing network access control, remediating noncompliant systems, and then continuously monitoring for compliance. The Sygate Universal Network Access Control system enables enterprises to extend the protections of network access control to every type of network access (VPN, wireless, wired switch, DHCP, and home networks) and on all endpoints (desktops, laptops, servers, guest systems, and embedded devices) and allows them to define how secure an endpoint must be before it can access specific network resources, even when users take their mobile devices off the corporate network.

"Thanks to the support of our customers, employees, investors, partners, and shareholders, Sygate has helped some of the largest, most complex enterprises to secure their infrastructures and eliminate disruptions to business-critical computer systems," said John DeSantis, president and CEO of Sygate Technologies. "Combining our entrepreneurial spirit and expertise in endpoint compliance with Symantec's outstanding resources, corporate culture and market leadership in client security will allow us to offer customers the most comprehensive solution for both managed and unmanaged endpoints."

Symantec Corp.