Trend Micro buys data-leak specialist Provilla

Trend Micro has announced an agreement to acquire privately held start-up Provilla for its LeakProof data-leak prevention product. The acquisition price was not disclosed.

Trend Micro CEO Eva Chen said the company's customers increasingly need data-leak prevention to protect sensitive data. Trend Micro determined that Provilla's Windows-based desktop agent-based software, LeakProof, which can block transit of sensitive data and warn security managers about attempts, would be a good fit in Trend's present product line and future offerings.

Trend Micro said its plans call for continuing customer support for the existing LeakProof product, but its long-term plans call for integrating the LeakProof data-leak-prevention capability into its desktop and gateway products. Trend Micro, which is leaning toward keeping the LeakProof product name but could change it down the road, also is looking at extending LeakProof to other mobile platforms.

Provilla was founded in 2005 by Liwei Ren, Fei Huang, and Shu Huang, researchers with advanced degrees from Chinese universities. Provilla has about 22 employees. It will operate as a Trend Micro subsidiary.

Provilla was featured in "Ten Security Companies to Watch" for 2007.