HelpSystems, parent of Alert Logic, has acquired Outflank -- a provider of red teaming, cyberattack simulation, incident detection and response services. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
This is technology M&A deal number 789 that MSSP Alert and sister site ChannelE2E have covered so far in 2022.
HelpSystems Acquires Outflank: Cybersecurity Business Backgrounds
Outflank, based in Amsterdam, has nine employees listed on LinkedIn. Outflank provides consulting, training, and a SaaS-based software toolkit that allows organizations to evaluate their defenses. The team has trained nearly 1,000 IT and security professionals. The Outflank Security Tooling is designed to work with HelpSystems’ Cobalt Strike for adversary simulations. The acquired business joins the HelpSystems Offensive Security portfolio of vulnerability management, penetration testing, and red teaming/adversary simulation solutions, the buyer said.
HelpSystems, founded in 1982, is based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. The company has 1,169 employees listed on LinkedIn. Those team members serve 8,700 customers -- from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies, HelpSystems notes.
HelpSystems is owned by Harvest Partners, TA Associates, Charlesbank Capital Partners and HelpSystems employees. The company has been busy on the M&A front. Earlier acquisitions include:
- May 2022: Managed Detection and Response) security company Alert Logic
- April 2022: Security awareness training company Terranova
- October 2021: Threat Intelligence company PhishLabs
- May 2021: Vulnerability management company Beyond Security
- February 2021: Digital Defense for security assessment tools
- December 2020: Verda for security and data protection
- May 2020: Penetration testing company Cobalt Strike
- December 2019: Data loss prevention company Clearswift
HelpSystems Acquires Outflank: Executive Perspectives
In a prepared statement about the latest deal, Kate Bolseth, CEO of HelpSystems, said:
“This is an incredibly fast-moving and exciting space, and we’re thrilled to welcome the Outflank experts to the HelpSystems family. Offensive security tactics like adversary simulation are an essential part of a well-rounded cybersecurity strategy, particularly for organizations operating in complex, sensitive IT environments. Our customers can rest assured that we’re able to support them with an unparalleled combination of targeted software and expert-led services.”
A statement from the Outflank team added:
“Our team is passionate about offensive security and proud of our critical role as a red teaming leader in the cybersecurity industry. We excel at supporting, challenging, and training security teams to identify and correct gaps in their defenses through advanced adversary simulations. With our SaaS solution for red teams, we offer an extremely powerful toolset to our customers so they can execute sophisticated attack scenarios themselves. As part of HelpSystems, we can expand our market reach and support more security teams, while continuing to apply stringent controls over the access to our powerful toolset and staying mindful of how our solution is used.”
