Google is reportedly gearing up for its largest startup acquisition to date, eyeing a whopping $23 billion deal to purchase Wiz, a prominent cloud cybersecurity firm with collaborations including Amazon and Oracle, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. This potential acquisition, nearly double the amount Google spent on Motorola Mobility in 2012, marks a significant move for the tech giant.
Based in New York City, Wiz specializes in providing “siloed security tools and scanners” tailored for enterprise environments. The company asserts its capability to enhance corporate cloud infrastructure security by introducing a standardizing layer across cloud environments, facilitating swift identification and mitigation of critical risks.
The strategic move appears to be a direct challenge to Microsoft, which has recently faced several high-profile security breaches. Thomas Kurian, head of Google Cloud, is purportedly driving this acquisition initiative, aiming to bolster Google’s stature as a trusted provider of secure cloud solutions.
According to The New York Times, the acquisition bid reflects Google’s ongoing commitment to enhancing its cloud security credentials. This effort echoes Google’s earlier half-billion dollar investment in a cloud security startup in 2022 and its $5.4 billion acquisition of Mandiant, the firm credited with uncovering the SolarWinds cyberattack the same year.
While the deal appears promising, The Times notes potential hurdles such as regulatory scrutiny under the Biden administration’s heightened antitrust measures. Recent actions include the Department of Justice’s lawsuit concerning Google’s Search deal with Apple and the Federal Trade Commission’s challenge against Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision.
The acquisition of Wiz by Google could redefine the landscape of cloud cybersecurity, assuming it navigates regulatory challenges and secures final approval.
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