BreakingPoint Acquired for $160M

The acquisition of BreakingPoint enables Ixia to provide an end-to-end solution that monitors, tests, and optimizes converged networks. Without an ongoing security and performance-testing regimen, even the most sophisticated networks and data centers fail to ensure business continuity in the face of crippling cyber attacks and dynamic application conditions.

BreakingPoint’s solutions provide global visibility into emerging threats and applications, along with advance insight into the resiliency of an organization’s IT infrastructure under operationally relevant conditions and malicious attacks. BreakingPoint’s network processor-based simulation and testing platform creates global application and live attack traffic at Internet-scale. Enterprises, service providers, and government agencies worldwide depend on BreakingPoint’s products to battle-test wired and wireless infrastructures, deploy compact cyber ranges, optimize network and data center systems, and transform security processes to be proactive and effective.

“The current threat landscape is changing everything –from the way we conduct business, to how we protect data and secure infrastructures, to the ways we train cyber warriors,” said Vic Alston, Ixia’s president and chief executive officer. “This dynamic IT landscape is creating a growing demand for solutions that provide definitive and current insight into the resiliency of critical IT infrastructures and defenses. The use of disparate testing tools, threat intelligence, and monitoring products allows dangerous security vulnerabilities that erode the security posture of businesses and government agencies. By leveraging BreakingPoint with Ixia’s integrated portfolio of proven network test products, customers will have available to them an end-to-end solution to help ensure business continuity for enterprises and government organizations.”

BreakingPoint grew revenue over 40 percent in calendar 2011 to $33.5 million while generating gross margin of 87 percent for the year. For calendar 2012, Ixia expects BreakingPoint’s revenue to again grow by more than 40 percent, and anticipates that the BreakingPoint transaction will be accretive to non-GAAP earnings in the first full quarter of operations after the acquisition closes. Non-GAAP earnings exclude stock-based compensation, amortization of acquired intangible assets, and other non-recurring charges, net of the applicable tax effects.

“As a leader in cyber security research, BreakingPoint has built a library of more than 34,000 attacks, exploits, malware, and more,” said Dennis Cox, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of BreakingPoint. “Joining forces with Ixia creates a powerful platform in security and application testing – one with an extensive global sales reach into enterprises, service providers, and government agencies.”