Syncsort advances security strategy with acquisition of Townsend Security’s IBM i data privacy products

Acquired products and new reseller agreement with Townsend Security strengthen Syncsort’s IBM i security offering to meet customers’ critical compliance and data protection requirements

Press releases

Syncsort, the global leader in Big Iron to Big Data software, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire IBM i encryption, tokenization, authentication, FTP and SIEM integration products from Townsend Security, a Washington-state based provider of data privacy software. Additionally, the companies are announcing a partnership agreement for Syncsort to resell Townsend Security’s Alliance Key Manager product.

The acquired products handle key use cases for encryption of data at rest, encryption of data in motion, SIEM integration, secure FTP and two-factor authentications for IBM i. These products and the new partnership further extend Syncsort’s leadership in IBM i security and high availability products, and address the encryption key management needs of their enterprise customers. The two companies will work together on new innovations in cross-platform encryption.

Townsend Security’s Alliance Key Manager enterprise key management solution for IBM i, IBM z, Windows and Linux supports key database and cloud management platforms and complements the IBM i encryption and authentication offerings Syncsort has acquired. Townsend Security serves over 3,000 companies worldwide with NIST-validated and FIPS 140-2 compliant solutions to meet encryption and key management requirements in PCI DSS, HIPAA, FISMA, GDPR and other regulations.

“The increased focus on data privacy, including new regulations like GDPR, is raising pressure on IT to meet growing compliance requirements. The addition of Townsend Security’s IBM i products extends our unique capabilities to help IBM i users tackle these challenges. The technical and product direction of Townsend’s security software is a natural fit with Syncsort’s IBM i security strategy, making the acquired solutions a great fit for our Syncsort Assure product portfolio,” said Josh Rogers, CEO, Syncsort. “Additionally, encryption and key management have become a critical aspect of security and compliance management.  Our partnership with Townsend Security addresses these needs by helping enterprises reduce risk, support business continuity and demonstrate compliance with regulations like PCI DSS, HIPAA and GDPR.”

Townsend Security’s Alliance Key Manager provides encryption key management and encryption services to a wide set of relational database solutions, big data solutions and blockchain platforms. With out of the box integrations for the IBM i, Microsoft SQL Server, MongoDB, and a wide variety of SDKs and client-side applications, enterprises can easily protect private information.

“Today’s business environments require data be sent outside the organization to partners, vendors and customers. This complicates compliance strategies, and makes it increasingly difficult to prevent the data getting into the wrong hands because of employee error or malicious attacks,” said Patrick Townsend, Founder and CEO, Townsend Security.  “Syncsort, with their global market presence and channel and direct sales organizations, will be a great partner in extending the success of the IBM i security products, as well as our Alliance Key Manager. Their focus on optimizing, assuring and integrating data, provides a rich environment for innovation.”

The acquisition and partnership help Syncsort deliver on its ongoing commitment to strengthening the IBM i platform and to companies that rely on its performance and resilience to drive their businesses forward. An additional delivery on this strategy, also announced today, is new, internally-developed software that formats and forwards IBM i machine log data to Splunk for advanced analytics to support SIEM and ITOA initiatives.

Koley Jessen served as legal advisor to Syncsort.