"We've been working on a deal for more than a year," Ed Macnair, CEO of U.K.-based Marshal, told SCMagazineUS.com. "As we've been working together, even more synergy seems to pop out of the woodwork."
The merger, which will not result in any layoffs, forms Marshal8e6, a security provider focused on safeguarding email, web and instant messenger communication.
"Today you're seeing many, many more blended threats," Macnair said. "For people to achieve a good level of security, they need to coordinate between web and email."
Paul Myer, president and COO of Orange, Calif.-based 8e6, said his company -- which concentrates on URL filtering -- has partnered with email security providers such as Proofpoint and CipherTrust (Secure Computing) in the past. But it was ready for a permanent commitment.
"There's very little overlap," he said of his firm and Marshal.
Both men said the merger will provide the companies access to a new customer base. The combined business is expected to serve more than 20,000 corporate customers, managing some 16 million end-users across 96 countries. Annual customer billings may reach $50 million.