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Tenable Acquires Microsoft Active Directory Security Company Alsid

Tenable has announced plans to acquire Microsoft Active Directory (AD) security provider Alsid for $98 million in cash. Furthermore, Alsid founders Emmanuel Gras and Luc Delsalle will join Tenable in senior leadership roles focused on the development of AD security solutions.

This is M&A deal number 104 that MSSP Alert and sister site ChannelE2E have covered so far in 2021. See all technology M&A deals for 2021 and 2020 listed here.

The Alsid acquisition is expected to close in the second quarter, Tenable said. Alsid’s financial results in 2021 are expected to contribute approximately 1 percentage point of growth to Tenable's revenue, and its calculated current billings and incremental operating expenses are projected to fall between $15 million and $20 million.

Alsid offers a SaaS solution that lets users monitor AD security in real time, the company indicated. The solution provides dynamic threat scoring, complexity ratings and recommended actions to help users identify and repair AD security weaknesses.

In addition, Alsid's solution continuously discovers new AD attack pathways and detects ongoing attacks in real time, the company stated. It also provides remediation recommendations without requiring users to deploy agents or access privileged accounts.

What Does the Alsid Acquisition Mean for Tenable?

The Alsid acquisition could help Tenable enhance its cyber exposure platform. It represents one of several recent moves that Tenable has made to accelerate its cybersecurity market growth.

Tenable in January 2021 updated its MSSP portal to empower its partners to deliver cloud-based vulnerability management services. The updated MSSP portal lets partners self-provision and self-service their own Tenable.io instances and launch vulnerability management services in minutes, the company noted. Tenable's MSSP partner program extends back to 2017.

The company has been active on the M&A front. Ahead of the Alsid deal, Tenable acquired Israeli OT security company Indegy for $78 million in cash. Tenable leverages Indegy's industrial cybersecurity technology to provide visibility, security and control across IT and OT environments, according to the company.

Tenable delivers risk-based vulnerability management solutions to global organizations. It also offers a partner program that lets MSSPs and other channel partners integrate its vulnerability management solutions into their portfolios.

Dan Kobialka

Dan Kobialka is senior contributing editor, MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E. He covers IT security, IT service provider business strategies and partner programs. Dan holds a M.A. in Print and Multimedia Journalism from Emerson College and a B.A. in English from Bridgewater State University. In his free time, Dan enjoys jogging, traveling, playing sports, touring breweries and watching football.