Nokia signs agreement to sell security appliance business to Check Point Software Technologies
Press Release
Combination is natural culmination of successful 12-year collaboration between companies
Espoo, Finland and Mountain View, CA, USA - Nokia announced today that it has signed an agreement for Check Point Software Technologies to acquire Nokia's security appliance business. The two businesses have collaborated for over a decade to deliver industry-leading enterprise security solutions, and this agreement is the natural culmination of that long-standing collaboration.
"For over 10 years, the security appliance business within Nokia has held a leading position in the security appliance market. Our IP security platforms have developed a well-deserved reputation as the premier platform on which to deploy Check Point's leading security software," said Tom Furlong, Senior Vice President of Services & Software at Nokia. "This business fits naturally with Check Point, and the combination will provide a great path forward for the thousands of customers who depend on Nokia security solutions today."
"As a pioneer in security appliances, the Nokia security appliance business has been an important strategic partner for Check Point and has helped us achieve early leadership in the security appliance market," said Gil Shwed, Chairman and CEO at Check Point. "Adding Nokia's security appliance portfolio into Check Point's broad range of security solutions is the natural conclusion of our long collaboration, and will assure a smooth path forward for our mutual customers."
Check Point and Nokia have long provided customers with a range of best-of-breed security solutions, proven in high-performance, mission critical environments. Nokia's security appliance business provides purpose-built security platforms optimized for Check Point Firewall, virtual private network (VPN) and unified threat management (UTM) software. About 85 percent of Fortune 500 companies have bought Nokia's security platforms. More than 220,000 Nokia appliances have been installed with over 23,000 customers worldwide.
Check Point has a broad range of security gateways, available as software as well as dedicated appliances. More than 700,000 Check Point security gateways have been licensed with over 100,000 customers worldwide. Check Point's customer base includes 100 percent of Fortune 100 and 98 percent of Fortune 500 companies.
The agreement between Nokia and Check Point is expected to close in the quarter ending in March 31, 2009. It is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.
About Nokia
Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformation and growth of the converging Internet and communications industries. We make a wide range of mobile devices with services and software that enable people to experience music, navigation, video, television, imaging, games, business mobility and more. Developing and growing our offering of consumer Internet services, as well as our enterprise solutions and software, is a key area of focus. We also provide equipment, solutions and services for communications networks through Nokia Siemens Networks.
About Check Point Software Technologies
Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. is the leader in securing the Internet. Check Point offers total security solutions featuring a unified gateway, single endpoint agent and single management architecture, customized to fit customers' dynamic business needs. This combination is unique and is a result of our leadership and innovation in the enterprise firewall, personal firewall/endpoint, data security and VPN markets.
Check Point's pure focus is on information security. Through its NGX platform, Check Point delivers a unified security architecture to protect business communications and resources, including corporate networks and applications, remote employees, branch offices and partner extranets. The company also offers market-leading endpoint and data security solutions with Check Point Endpoint Security products, protecting and encrypting sensitive corporate information stored on PCs and other mobile computing devices. Check Point's award-winning ZoneAlarm solutions protect millions of consumer PCs from hackers, spyware and identity theft. Check Point solutions are sold, integrated and serviced by a network of Check Point partners around the world and its customers include 100 percent of Fortune 100 companies and tens of thousands of businesses and organizations of all sizes.
It should be noted that certain statements herein which are not historical facts, including, without limitation, those regarding: A) the timing of product, services and solution deliveries; B) our ability to develop, implement and commercialize new products, services, solutions and technologies; C) expectations regarding market growth, developments and structural changes; D) expectations regarding our mobile device volume growth, market share, prices and margins; E) expectations and targets for our results of operations; F) the outcome of pending and threatened litigation; G) expectations regarding the successful completion of contemplated acquisitions on a timely basis and our ability to achieve the set targets upon the completion of such acquisitions; and H) statements preceded by "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "foresee," "target," "estimate," "designed," "plans," "will" or similar expressions are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management's best assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it. Because they involve risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from the results that we currently expect. Factors that could cause these differences include, but are not limited to: 1) the deteriorating global economic conditions and related financial crisis and their impacts on us, our customers, suppliers, and collaborative partners; 2) competitiveness of our product, service and solutions portfolio; 3) the extent of the growth of the mobile communications industry; 4) the growth and profitability of the new market segments that we target and our ability to successfully develop or acquire and market products, services and solutions in those segments; 5) our ability to successfully manage costs; 6) the intensity of competition in the mobile communications industry and our ability to maintain or improve our market position or respond successfully to changes in the competitive landscape; 7) the impact of changes in technology and our ability to develop or otherwise acquire complex technologies as required by the market, with full rights needed to use; 8) timely and successful commercialization of complex technologies as new advanced products, services and solutions; 9) our ability to protect the complex technologies, which we or others develop or that we license, from claims that we have infringed third parties' intellectual property rights, as well as our unrestricted use on commercially acceptable terms of certain technologies in our products, services and solution offerings; 10) our ability to protect numerous Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks patented, standardized or proprietary technologies from third-party infringement or actions to invalidate the intellectual property rights of these technologies; 11) Nokia Siemens Networks' ability to achieve the expected benefits and synergies from its formation to the extent and within the time period anticipated and to successfully integrate its operations, personnel and supporting activities; 12) whether, as a result of investigations into alleged violations of law by some current or former employees of Siemens AG ("Siemens"), government authorities or others take further actions against Siemens and/or its employees that may involve and affect the carrier-related assets and employees transferred by Siemens to Nokia Siemens Networks, or there may be undetected additional violations that may have occurred prior to the transfer, or ongoing violations that may have occurred after the transfer, of such assets and employees that could result in additional actions by government authorities; 13) any impairment of Nokia Siemens Networks customer relationships resulting from the ongoing government investigations involving the Siemens carrier-related operations transferred to Nokia Siemens Networks; 14) occurrence of any actual or even alleged defects or other quality issues in our products, services and solutions; 15) our ability to manage efficiently our manufacturing and logistics, as well as to ensure the quality, safety, security and timely delivery of our products, services and solutions; 16) inventory management risks resulting from shifts in market demand; 17) our ability to source sufficient amounts of fully functional components and sub-assemblies without interruption and at acceptable prices; 18) any disruption to information technology systems and networks that our operations rely on; 19) developments under large, multi-year contracts or in relation to major customers; 20) economic or political turmoil in emerging market countries where we do business; 21) our success in collaboration arrangements relating to development of technologies or new products, services and solutions; 22) the success, financial condition and performance of our collaboration partners, suppliers and customers; 23) exchange rate fluctuations, including, in particular, fluctuations between the euro, which is our reporting currency, and the US dollar, the Chinese yuan, the UK pound sterling and the Japanese yen, as well as certain other currencies; 24) the management of our customer financing exposure; 25) allegations of possible health risks from electromagnetic fields generated by base stations and mobile devices and lawsuits related to them, regardless of merit; 26) unfavorable outcome of litigations; 27) our ability to recruit, retain and develop appropriately skilled employees; 28) the impact of changes in government policies, laws or regulations; and 29) our ability to effectively and smoothly implement our new organizational structure; as well as the risk factors specified on pages 10-25 of Nokia's annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2007 under "Item 3.D Risk Factors." Other unknown or unpredictable factors or underlying assumptions subsequently proving to be incorrect could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Nokia does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent legally required.
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