Symantec buys endpoint security firm Altiris

Symantec is to buy endpoint security company Altiris for $830m (422m).

Under the terms of the deal, Altiris shareholders will receive $33 per share of Altiris common stock in cash. The transaction is subject to regulatory and shareholder approval and expected to close in the second quarter of this year.

With the deal, Symantec gets Altiris's endpoint security products that help companies protect and manage policies on endpoint devices such as laptops, PDAs and phones.

"The most secure endpoint is a well-managed endpoint. The best protection must be complemented by the ability to remediate and address vulnerabilities that could be exploited," said Symantec chairman and chief executive John Thompson.

He said he believed that combining the endpoint management solutions from Altiris with the security expertise from Symantec, the company's customers would have more comprehensive protection.

Greg Butterfield, president and chief executive of Altiris echoed Thompson's comments and said the two companies would offer customers a "total package in endpoint management."