Microsoft Buys Hexadite To Help Companies Protect Cybersecurity

Microsoft announced Thursday (June 8) it has signed an agreement to acquire Hexadite, a company delivering agentless, automatic incident investigation and remediation solutions.

In a press release, the Redmond, Wa. software giant said terms of the agreement have not been disclosed. Once closed, the acquisition will build on the work Microsoft is already doing to help commercial Windows 10 customers detect, investigate and respond to advanced cybersecurity attacks on their networks with Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (WDATP).

“Our vision is to deliver a new generation of security capabilities that helps our customers protect, detect and respond to the constantly evolving and ever-changing cyberthreat landscape,” said Terry Myerson, executive vice president, Windows and Devices Group at Microsoft, in the press release. “Hexadite’s technology and talent will augment our existing capabilities and enable our ability to add new tools and services to Microsoft’s robust enterprise security offerings.”

According to Microsoft, WDATP continues to prove its value in detecting high-profile security cases such as zero-day attacks, ransomware and other advanced cybersecurity threats.  Microsoft also said it’s adding artificial intelligence–based automatic investigation and remediation capabilities, making response and remediation faster and more effective. With Hexadite, WDATP will include endpoint security automated remediation.

Cybersecurity has never been more challenging as attacks have become more advanced and targeted. It’s broadly estimated that data breaches can cost between $12 million and $17 million per incident, costing millions in lost productivity, Microsoft said in the release. Hexadite is headquartered in Boston, with a team of researchers in Tel Aviv, Israel. Following the close of the deal and after a period of integration, Hexadite will be fully absorbed into Microsoft as part of the Windows and Devices Group, the company said.