September Cyber Intelligence Review
August began with a setback for the proposed Cybersecurity Act after a filibuster in the Senate stalled the bill before the August recess. Joint Chiefs Chairman Martin Dempsey and sponsor Joe Lieberman deplored the filibuster and continue to urge action before the end of the year, though the hotly contested election could distract these efforts.
On the transaction front, August saw a few notable Cyber / Intel M&A transactions and venture capital (“VC”) fundings. Prime contractor General Dynamics’ (“GD”) acquisition of Fidelis Security Systems on August 28th exemplified cyber-focused M&A activity as GD aims to enhance its ability to deliver innovative cyber solutions to its customers.
On the Cloud side, Accel-KKR-backed Layered Technologies entered the Federal cloud and hosting market by acquiring New World Apps.
In the VC arena, activity was strong across the board, with several large-scale investments in Big Data, Cloud, and Security markets. Highlighting the Big Data trend, longstanding Sigma Partners Principal, Richard Dale, left to start a new VC firm called “Big Data Boston,” which will focus on Big Data start-ups focused on software and services.
