Google acquires Web security startup GreenBorder

By Eric Auchard

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc. (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Tuesday it has bought Internet security startup GreenBorder Technologies Inc., which creates secure connections to protect e-mail and Web users from malicious or unwanted computer code.

Terms of the deal, which closed in mid-May, were not disclosed, according to Google spokesman Aaron Zamost.

GreenBorder, a venture-backed startup founded in 2001 and based in Mountain View, California, where Google is also headquartered, offers security software that sets up temporary, virtual sessions each time a computer users surfs the Web, then discards the resulting data once the user is finished surfing.

The software allows technicians to insulate corporate networks so that malicious code hidden inside e-mail, instant messages or Web sites is automatically detected and contained.

Gartner analyst Neil MacDonald has said GreenBorder's "virtualization" technology competes with software offerings from Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and EMC Corp.'s (EMC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) VMware, as well as various rival startups.

Virtualization, one of the hottest trends in software, refers to techniques that separate physical computer hardware from the software used to run the machine.

As computer networks become more complex, virtualization disguises the underlying complexity of basic computer functions for users while allowing network technicians to manage the software more efficiently and securely.

Unlike virtualization software from rivals requiring multiple Windows licenses for each corporate user, GreenBorder insulates the Microsoft Windows system from the underlying computer hardware and only requires a single license for Windows, MacDonald said.