HP Acquires Endpoint Security Firm Bromium

The PC and printer maker has been licensing Bromium’s anti-malware technology since 2017.

HP Inc. says it will bolster its endpoint security capabilities with the acquisition of Bromium, following a more than two-year partnership between the companies.

Founded in 2011 by former Citrix executives, Cupertino, Calif.-based Bromium has specialized in deploying virtualization to provide endpoint security.

[Related: HP Unveils AI-Driven Software Sure Sense To Block Unknown Malware]

Bromium's technology forms the basis for HP's Sure Click malware protection, which is a staple of HP commercial PCs.

Sure Click prevents malware from leaving browser tabs and reaching the PC, through isolating untrusted files and websites in a virtual container.

Palo Alto, Calif.-based HP has been licensing Bromium technology for Sure Click since early 2017, and the partnership was expanded in March of this year with the launch of the Sure Click Advanced solution for HP's Device-as-a-Service offering.

HP has been aggressive in recent years in deploying on-device security solutions in both its PCs and printers. The acquisition of Bromium "extends our investments, leadership and focus in this space and securing end point devices that are on the front lines of defense against cyber security attacks," said Andy Rhodes, general manager and global head of commercial systems at HP, in a news release.

HP said it is not disclosing the terms of the acquisition or saying how many employees will be joining from Bromium.

In May of 2018, Bromium announced that it was updating its partner strategy to realign its product and field organizations, in order to provide greater technical, sales and marketing support to its channel partners.

Along with Sure Click, HP also offers security capabilities to protect against threats including BIOS attacks (with Sure Start), unknown malware (with Sure Sense) and visual hacking (with Sure View).