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Antivirus Specialist GRISOFT Acquires Anti-malware Expert Ewido Networks
Creates comprehensive anti-malware portfolio to protect users against constantly growing types of malicious threats
Brno, Czech Republic and Millburn, N.J. - April 19, 2006 - GRISOFT, the maker of award-winning AVG Anti-Virus, today announced the acquisition of Ewido Networks, a leading provider of innovative anti-malware solutions. This acquisition expands GRISOFT's AVG antivirus and firewall offerings to include comprehensive malware protection, and provide its customers with the highest level of security against growing types of malicious software spreading across the Internet.
Consumers and businesses are now facing a wider variety of threats on the Internet that are going beyond viruses, worms and trojans. This purchase puts GRISOFT in a strong competitive position to address and protect against future Internet threats, while better servicing its already substantial customer base of over 30 million users.
In just two years, Ewido Networks developed award-winning anti-malware technologies that share the same user-friendly approach found in GRISOFT's AVG antivirus and firewall products. The software's pro-active approach to fighting malware, based on advanced detection methods, will be a significant component of the next generation scanning engine for AVG security products. "The entire team at Ewido is looking forward to sharing their experiences and strong know-how in the field of malware protection with GRISOFT," said Andreas Rudyk, co-founder and managing director at Ewido Networks.
"The acquisition of Ewido Networks is the first step in fulfilling our vision of easy to use comprehensive protection against all kinds of cyber threats," said Karel Obluk, CTO of GRISOFT. "In order to provide even broader protection to our customers in the shortest possible time frame, GRISOFT will continue to develop and offer the best security technologies available, as well as work with strategic partners."
GRISOFT's primary focus is to deliver the most comprehensive software solutions that provide proactive protection from computer viruses. Distributed globally through resellers and the Internet, the AVG Anti-Virus product line supports all major operating systems and platforms. In the next quarter, GRISOFT will be releasing new versions of the AVG and Ewido products.
Intel Capital, Intel Corporation's venture investment fund, and Enterprise Investors (EI), the largest private equity firm in Central and Eastern Europe, recently made a $52 million investment in the company. "With the acquisition of Ewido, GRISOFT is emerging as one of the leading providers of comprehensive malware protection for consumers and small businesses," said Ashish Patel, Managing Director, Intel Capital EMEA. "GRISOFT software combined with the latest Intel hardware antivirus features such as Intel XD Bit technology offers consumers and businesses very solid protection against increasing security threats," he added.
