DomainTools purchases Farsight Security
Two cybersecurity firms with deep domain industry ties are getting together.
DomainTools has purchased Farsight Security, the two firms disclosed today.
In a blog post, DomainTools CEO Tim Chen explained why the marriage makes sense:
It’s clear the combination of [Farsight’s] active DNS data collection, driven by DomainTools’ comprehensive and continuously updated map of fresh and existing domain names, and the passive observation of worldwide DNS communications and what fresh and existing domains and hostnames are actually seeing live DNS queries, is an extremely powerful one. This is why we have integrated Farsight passive DNS data into our Iris Investigate product for 5 years and why DomainTools was one of the few organizations Farsight Security allowed to resell its powerful API.
Dr. Paul Vixie, founder of Farsight, stated DomainTools was one of many suitors for the firm:
At the end of the corporate development process, a number of acquirers were ready to buy out our shareholders at a similar valuation, and so the Board left it to me as Founder/CEO to select the acquirer who would give our other constituencies—the clients, partners, and employee families—the best future. I chose DomainTools without hesitation. DomainTools is a long-time partner and reseller so I know their management team and their corporate culture, and they know Farsight and they know what makes us unique. For continuity of services, vision, and culture I feel lucky to have had this outcome available.
DomainTools is a security firm that was born from domain data counting Whois. Domain investors were majority owners until Battery Ventures made a strategic investment in the firm last year.
