Two security research and consulting firms have taken on a new identity and merged to form a pure-play cyber security solutions provider.

Accuvant and FishNet Security have now become Optiv Security, the companies unveiled at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas. The two companies decided to merge earlier this year and used the conference as their coming-out and rebranding party for a combined firm that aims to provide an end-to-end approach to security, said Optiv chief executive officer Dan Burns, in a press release.

“Cyber security is a multi-faceted problem, and technology is only one part of the solution,” he said. “No matter how effective the technology, it must be part of a holistic approach that includes business objectives, identification of risks and prioritization of data, strategy, processes, technology to support the strategy and processes, and people.”

Before joining forces, the companies had their own separate areas of expertise. Accuvant’s strengths historically have been in information security, managed services and research. The company also has a strong research team, with a lab of more than 25 professionals dedicated to solve not only client problems but also promote security across the industry.

FishNet was formed back in 1996 as a small private consulting firm in the basement of founder Gary Fish’s home in Missouri. By the time of its merger with Accuvant, it had grown into a formidable security solutions integrator with major partners such as Check Point, BlueCoat and Juniper Networks, winning partner awards from the latter two for its products and services.

The combined company, Optiv combines its second-generation managed security services, incident response and other consulting and professional services with security technology from a large ecosystem of product manufacturers, according to the companies. This allows Optiv to help clients address their full range of cyber risk and security needs in a customized and integrated fashion, said Burns.

“Optiv has the know-how and experience that organizations need to target a problem or project, or bring it all together in a holistic fashion with an ongoing, programmatic approach,” Burns said. “We understand all the pieces and parts, sort through the vast options, and help clients identify, evaluate and implement the best solution for their unique security needs.”