January 29, 2024 at 07:51AM
In 2023, SecurityWeek recorded 413 cybersecurity-related mergers and acquisitions, an 8% drop from 2022. North American companies dominated, but deals in Asia and Oceania rose. Financial details were available for 58 deals, totaling $50.4 billion. Notable transactions included Thales acquiring Imperva for $3.6 billion and Cisco’s $28 billion acquisition of Splunk. Additionally, SecurityWeek separately tracked pure-play cybersecurity companies.
Based on the meeting notes, here are the key takeaways:
1. Drop in M&A Deals: There was an 8% drop in M&A deals compared to 2022, with a total of 413 deals tracked in 2023.
2. Geographic Distribution: While North American companies remained the majority, there was a significant increase in deals from Asia and Oceania, particularly driven by Israel and Australia.
3. Financials: Financial details were disclosed for 58 of the 413 deals, totaling roughly $50.4 billion, with six deals valued at over $1 billion.
4. Category Analysis: The GRC category saw an increase in deals, while there was a decrease in deals involving data protection, cloud and container firms, and application security.
5. Specific Industries: Incident response, industrial cybersecurity, and private equity firms were noteworthy categories contributing to the M&A landscape.
6. Methodology: The data collection methodology included news distribution services, Google searches, and pitches from PR companies, with a focus on English-language announcements and deals with a cybersecurity component.
These takeaways provide a comprehensive overview of the M&A landscape in the cybersecurity industry in 2023.