Avast will acquire the rival AVG for $ 1.3 billion
The giant of the security software Avast Software has
acquired the company competitor AVG Technologies, paying $ 25 for each of the
outstanding ordinary shares of AVG. The overall agreement is about 1.3 billion
US dollars. Established in Czechoslovakia in the early 90s under the name of
Grisoft, AVG has gradually grown to become one of the leading names in security
for desktop and mobile systems, also offering related services such as AVG
Cleaner for Android and Mac. The company's headquarters is He was later moved
to Amsterdam, where he still resides.
Even the Avast origins can be traced back to Czechoslovakia,
as the company was founded in the city of Prague in 1988. He has since become
one of the leading brands of the computer
security industry, and today boasts according to the most recent report about a
fifth the entire global antivirus market. Despite being mostly known in this
environment, Avast has moved recently to other categories, and in recent months
has launched a new project to discover the best Wi-Fi hotspot using data
obtained in crowdsourcing.
Avast said it will acquire AVG to "increase in size,
technological depth, and geographic
breadth," so they can "take advantage of emerging growth
opportunities in the Internet security and at the same time greater
organizational efficiency." The company that will be formed by the merger
of the two brands will have access to 400 million endpoints, ie devices that
have an Avast or AVG software installed.
Access to a larger number of devices will provide more information on the
malware, and then reflexively safer and more reliable products than in the
past.
"We are in an industry that is changing rapidly, and
this acquisition gives us the breadth and depth of technology to be the choice
as a provider of security of our current and future customers," said
Vincent Steckler, CEO of Avast. "By combining the strengths of two large
technology companies, both founded in the Czech Republic and with a culture and
a common mission, we will put in an ideal position to take advantage of new
opportunities, such as the security for the tremendous growth in the Internet
sector some things".
Although the acquisition has been approved by both boards of
directors of the two companies , AVG is a publicly traded company, so it was
not until well investor response. Avast is still confident of concluding the
transaction between the months of September and October of 2016.
