Synopsys Acquiring WhiteHat Security: What it Means for Partners

In other cybersecurity news …

Synopsys is acquiring WhiteHat Security, which rebranded to NTT Application Security last year, for $330 million in cash.

NTT Security acquired WhiteHat in 2019 and is now selling it to Synopsys. Synopsys should finalize the acquisition in the third quarter.

So what will this mean for partners of both companies? We asked Jason Schmidt, general manager of Synopsys‘ software integrity group.

“Expanding our partner program has been a strategic priority for our business unit over the past 18 months, and we’re already seeing very positive momentum on that front,” he said. “The acquisition of WhiteHat Security will add significant application security testing capabilities that are highly complementary to our existing portfolio, which will in turn strengthen our overall value proposition for our partners and their customers. As an example, WhiteHat Security’s strengths in dynamic application security testing (DAST) will complement our strengths in static application security testing and software composition analysis, providing our partners and their customers with a more comprehensive offering. WhiteHat Security has also historically maintained a vibrant channel program and partner ecosystem, so we expect that will further contribute to the great momentum in our partner business.”

This acquisition will strengthen Synopsys’ competitive advantages significantly by accelerating the expansion of its SaaS platform, expanding what is “considered one of the industry’s broadest application security testing (AST) portfolios,” Schmidt said.

“This in turn will give our partners the opportunity to have more strategic relationships with their customers,” he said.

Until the acquisition is closed, Synopsys and WhiteHat will continue to operate as two separate companies with respect to partners, Schmidt said.

“Synopsys has an active and rapidly expanding partner community, and we will continue to make that a significant part of our go-to-market (GTM) strategy,” he said. “Once the deal is closed, we will be communicating further information about our integration plans.”

Craig Hinkley is WhiteHat’s CEO. He said once the deal closes, WhiteHat Security/NTT Application Security will join Synopsys’ software integrity group division.

“Post closing, the name NTT Application Security will not be used given that the business is being sold by NTT to Synopsys,” he said. “Any decision on the future structure and operating model of the business will be made post-closing.”