DigiCert Inc., a Lehi-based digital security company, is paying nearly $1 billion to Symantec Corp. for its website and internet communications protection products.
Symantec, of Mountain View, Calif., also will acquire 30 percent of the common stock of the privately held DigiCert. The deal means employees of Symantec, which already has an office in Lindon, will be joining the DigiCert, which employs about 1,000 people in Lehi and St. George.
DigiCert, which makes identity verification and encryption software for web servers and internet-connected devices, declined to value the deal other than saying it is paying $950 million upfront in cash.
CEO John Merrill will continue to lead DigiCert.
Merrill said his company would “work toward a smooth transition for customers and employees of Symantec’s website security business.”
Symantec CEO Greg Clark said moving website and internet transmission security products to DigiCert would allow the California company to concentrate on its “Cyber Defense Platform” for businesses.
Symantec had more than 13,000 employees worldwide at the end of March. It reported $4 billion in revenue in its fiscal year with a net loss of $106 million as the company shed parts and acquired other companies to focus on being a “pure cybersecurity company.”
The DigiCert transaction has been approved by the Symantec board of directors and is expected to close in the third quarter of the fiscal year.
DigiCert provides digital certificates for websites like Facebook and Twitter. The green padlock on their address bars shows that the website’s identity has been certified and that it provides encrypted interactions.
The Utah company’s products also help protect internet-connected devices to ensure that they are not being accessed improperly and that their information exchanges are encrypted and accurate.
Financing for the deal is being provided by UBS Investment Bank, Credit Suisse, Jefferies Finance LLC and Goldman Sachs Bank USA. UBS Investment Bank, Credit Suisse and Jefferies LLC were financial advisors and Kirkland & Ellis LLP legal counsel to DigiCert and Thoma Bravo, the private equity firm that has backed DigiCert since 2015.