Trend Micro has agreed to pay $300m to acquire HP TippingPoint, a provider of intrusion prevention systems and related network security kit.

The acquisition is both technology and market driven since it gives Trend, best known for its security software, access to HP TippingPoint’s customer base.

Trend says the deal positions it as a enterprise security provider for defensive technology spanning endpoints, network, data centre and the cloud. The firm plans to sells this portfolio through a newly created Network Defense business unit.

Enterprise customers will be pitched with the ability to more efficiently prevent, detect and respond to modern threats that circumvent traditional security defences by buying from Trend. These technologies can help defend against targeted attacks and advanced threats that bypass traditional controls, leaving enterprise data and intellectual property exposed in the process.

Since 2014, Trend Micro and TippingPoint have had a strategic partner relationship and this will continue after TippingPoint’s tech changes hands.

“The two companies will form a strategic partnership with TippingPoint around re-sale, managed services and OEM activities, as well as security intelligence, app security and data security, according to a company statement about the deal.

The agreement covers the threat insight and expertise of TippingPoint’s Digital Vaccine Labs. Researchers from that team will work together with Trend’s existing security research teams.

Trend has also promised to continue with TippingPoint’s Zero Day Initiative, a pioneer in the area of bug bounties to security researchers and the organisers of the celebrated Pwn2Own competitions.

HP is looking to sell its TippingPoint business as part of a much wider corporate restructuring, as Channel Register reported in September. TippingPoint didn’t fit with either HP Inc or HP Enterprise, the two entities due to be created with the break-up of HP. ®