Cisco has agreed to acquire Sourcefire, a provider of cyber security services, for about $2.7 billion. The acquisition will give Cisco a portfolio of next-generation security offerings.

“Under the terms of the agreement, Cisco will pay $76 per share in cash in exchange for each share of Sourcefire and assume outstanding equity awards for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $2.7 billion, including retention-based incentives.” Cisco said in a statement.

The acquisition is expected to close during the second half of calendar year 2013, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory reviews. Cisco expects the acquisition to be slightly dilutive to non-GAAP earnings in fiscal year 2014 due to normal purchase accounting adjustments and integration costs.

Once the transaction closes, Cisco will include Sourcefire into its guidance going forward. Prior to the close, Cisco and Sourcefire will continue to operate as separate companies. Upon completion of the transaction Sourcefire employees will join the Cisco Security Group led by Christopher Young.

"‘Buy' has always been a key part of our build-buy-partner innovation strategy," said Hilton Romanski, vice president, Cisco Corporate Development. "Sourcefire aligns well with Cisco's future vision for security and supports the key pillars of our security strategy. Through our shared view of the critical role the network must play in cybersecurity and threat defense, we have a unique opportunity to deliver the most comprehensive approach to security in the market."

Cisco said that with the acquisition of Sourcefire, its customers will benefit from one of the industry's most comprehensive, integrated security solutions – one that is simpler to deploy, and offers better security intelligence."

"Cisco's acquisition of Sourcefire will help accelerate the realization of our vision for a new model of security across the extended network," said Martin Roesch, founder and chief technology officer of Sourcefire.

Sourcefire was founded in 2001 and completed its initial public offering in 2007. The company is based in Columbia, MD, an area widely recognized as a center of excellence for security innovation, and has more than 650 employees worldwide. For the full year ended December 31, 2012, Sourcefire reported revenue of $223.1 million, an increase of 35 percent year-over-year.

For best mobile phone deals: http://shopping.telecomtiger.com/

For latest updates on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/TelecomTiger/429104257149437