Micro Focus acquires Interset to improve predictive analytics

Micro Focus has announced the acquisition of Interset, a security analytics software that provides cyber threat protection.

The addition of this predictive analytics technology aims to add to Micro Focus' Security, Risk - Governance portfolio, and aligns with the company's strategy to help customers validate and assess risk as they digitally transform their businesses.

Interset utilises user and entity behavioural analytics (UEBA) and machine learning to give security professionals what they need to execute threat detection analysis.

The technology aims to help Micro Focus' deliver a more robust UEBA offering, and help drive deeper data insights across security and operations that are necessary to execute on the company's SecOps Analytics vision.

"Security is at the heart of every organisation, and perhaps never more so than as they implement their digital transformation initiatives and leverage emerging technologies to better predict and take action on credible threats," says Micro Focus risk and governance security senior vice president and general manager John Delk.

"Micro Focus recognised that an even more advanced analytics ecosystem was needed to assist in this journey, and we identified Interset as a critical addition to our strategy."

Interset has achieved a strong reputation in the market with software that has been proven in key verticals – energy, critical infrastructure, high-tech, aerospace, defence and government – where threat detection is at a premium.

The technology will supplement Micro Focus' Big Data analytics software, Vertica, and add additional value to Micro Focus ArcSight to deliver a differentiated cybersecurity solution.

Key attributes of the Interset technology include:

• Extensible analytics – With multiple use cases out of the box – including inside threats, targeted attacks, and fraud – the technology eliminates the need for expensive product consultations and customisation.

• Principled math – The software utilises a growing library of more than 350 proven machine-learning and advanced-analytics models, applying them to both events and entities, to yield a highly accurate means of detecting, connecting, and quantifying high-risk behaviours.

• Scalable big data – The flexible, open platform combines an advanced-analytics engine with open source, big-data technology, including Kafka, Spark, Phoenix, Hadoop, HBase, Elasticsearch, ZooKeeper, d3, and Kibana. It can be deployed in the Vertica, Hortonworks or Cloudera infrastructures, scaling to meet the needs of the largest, most-sophisticated environments.

Momentum Cyber acted as exclusive financial advisor to Interset, Strategic Capital Associates acted for Micro Focus and the acquisition is effective immediately.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.