Cisco announced yesterday its intention to acquire Splunk, a renowned name in data observability and security, in a deal valued at approximately $28 billion. Cisco intends to pay $157 in cash for each share of Splunk.
This acquisition, which is Cisco’s biggest deal ever, is aimed at furthering the company’s move to develop the next generation of AI-enabled security and observability solutions that aren’t only threat detection and response but also threat prediction and prevention.
Also, Splunk’s technology helps businesses monitor and analyze their systems for cybersecurity risks and other threats. Cisco has focused mainly on manufacturing computer networking equipment, which is a line of business that has recently come under an increasing rate of supply chain attacks. With this acquisition, Cisco hopes to cut down its decades-long reliance on networking equipment manufacturing and solidify its cybersecurity and AI commitments to meet client demand and fuel growth.
The acquisition builds on Splunk’s heritage of helping organizations enhance their digital resilience and will accelerate Cisco’s strategy to securely connect everything to make anything possible. The combination of these two established leaders in AI, security and observability will help make organizations more secure and resilient.
“We’re excited to bring Cisco and Splunk together. Our combined capabilities will drive the next generation of AI-enabled security and observability,” said Chuck Robbins, chair and CEO of Cisco. “From threat detection and response to threat prediction and prevention, we will help make organizations of all sizes more secure and resilient.”
“Uniting with Cisco represents the next phase of Splunk’s growth journey, accelerating our mission to help organizations worldwide become more resilient while delivering immediate and compelling value to our shareholders,” said Gary Steele, president and CEO of Splunk.
“Together, we will form a global security and observability leader that harnesses the power of data and AI to deliver excellent customer outcomes and transform the industry. We’re thrilled to join forces with a long-time and trusted partner that shares our passion for innovation and world-class customer experience, and we expect our community of Splunk employees will benefit from even greater opportunities as we bring together two respected and purpose-driven organizations,” Steele added.
