Rapid7 acquires startup Mobilisafe

Security firm Rapid7 today announced the acquisition of startup Mobilisafe, the Seattle-based provider of a mobile-risk management software and services.

Security firm Rapid7 today announced the acquisition of startup Mobilisafe, the Seattle-based provider of a mobile-risk management software and services.

Rapid7 is known as the provider of the network vulnerability management and penetration testing products Nexpose and Metasploit, and its acquisition of Mobilisafe broadens its reach into the area of mobile-device security. Mobilisafe, which debuted in June, has software called Mobile Risk Management intended to monitor and assess security in Android and Apple devices as well as do discovery to gain visibility into user mobile devices.

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Rapid7 says the acquisition of Mobilisafe for an undisclosed price is facilitated through the round of $50 million in new venture capital funding it received last year. For its part, Mobilisafe founder and CEO Giri Sreenivas earlier disclosed that the startup, founded in 2010, has received $1.5 million in venture-capital funding from Madrona Venture Group, Trilogy Equity Partners and T-Venture.

Mike Tuchen, CEO at Rapid7, indicated the acquisition of Mobilisafe is intended to strengthen the security firm's role in enterprise security when it comes to the bring your own device (BYOD) phenomenon in which companies are allowing employees to use personally-owned mobile devices for work purposes but trying to figure out appropriate ways to exert appropriate management and security controls on BYOD.

Ellen Messmer is senior editor at Network World, an IDG publication and website, where she covers news and technology trends related to information security. Twitter: @MessmerE. Email: emessmer@nww.com.

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