Security Operations, Cloud Security, Content

Google Cloud Absorbs Chronicle for Backstory, VirusTotal Cybersecurity Tools

Google Cloud will absorb Chronicle, a sister cybersecurity company, Chronicle CEO Stephen Gillett confirmed today. The move should be good news for MSP and MSSP partners that want tighter integration between Alphabet's cloud and cybersecurity services.

Google Ventures veteran and Chronicle CEO Stephen Gillett
Google Ventures veteran and Chronicle CEO Stephen Gillett

Chronicle developed BackStory (a SIEM-like platform) and also owns VirusTotal (a free service that analyzes files and URLs for viruses, worms, trojans and other kinds of malicious content).

Under parent Alphabet, Chronicle launched Backstory in March 2019 at RSA Conference in San Francisco. Early Chronicle partners include:

The Google Cloud-Chronicle pairing isn't surprising, especially since it aligns against Microsoft Azure Sentinel -- another new SIEM-like offering. Moreover, the Google-Chronicle move surfaces just as Amazon wraps up AWS re:Inforce 2019 -- a cybersecurity conference in Boston.

SIEM Evolution Toward UEBA, SOAR

The overall SIEM (security information and event management) market is evolving rapidly -- moving legacy client-server systems to pure cloud services. Moreover, SIEM tools have been gaining user & entity behavior analytics (UEBA), security operation and automation response (SOAR), and forensic analysis capabilities.

Joe Panettieri

Joe Panettieri is co-founder & editorial director of MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E, the two leading news & analysis sites for managed service providers in the cybersecurity market.