Google has announced the acquisition of Wiz, an American cybersecurity startup, for $32 billion, the largest deal in the search giant's history. Upon completion, Wiz will be integrated into Google Cloud.
The company says the deal is an investment in two things: improved cloud security and the ability to leverage multi-cloud solutions. And the combination of Google Cloud and Wiz will make it possible to:
- Vastly improve how security is designed, operated and automated — providing an end-to-end security platform for customers, of all types and sizes, in the AI era;
- Scale cybersecurity teams by providing them an automated security platform;
- Lower customers’ cost of implementing and managing security controls;
- Protect against new threats emerging due to the advancement of AI, prevent breaches, and help organizations respond to breaches much more efficiently;
- Boost the adoption of multicloud security and, as a result, customers’ ability to use multiple clouds; further spurring innovation in and the adoption of cloud computing.
It is reported that Wiz will continue to support all major cloud platforms, including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Oracle Cloud. Wiz products will continue to be available through the security solutions partner ecosystem.
Last year, Wiz rejected Google's $23 billion acquisition offer and instead planned to go public. According to media reports, negotiations failed because some of the startup's directors and investors were concerned about potential antitrust obstacles.
The strict regulatory environment in 2024 has made it difficult for many companies to make big deals, but Wall Street is optimistic that the Trump administration will roll back some antitrust policies. At the time of its funding round last May, Wiz was valued at $12 billion.
