CenturyLink Buys netAura for Managed Security Services

Even as the company weighs various data center strategies, CenturyLink remains strongly committed to the managed security services market. The latest evidence: CenturyLink has acquired netAura, an IT security services firm.

NetAura has deep expertise in such areas as cybersecurity, security information and event management (SIEM), analytics and vulnerability management, CenturyLink asserts. Located in Herndon, Va., netAura has worked closely with  U.S. government agencies and businesses in those security areas, CenturyLink adds.

Founded in 2011, netAura is a registered small business that currently supports the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice, according to the company's website.

Financial terms for the deal were not disclosed.

Managed Security Services Market Growth

The netAura buyout arrives one month after CenturyLink bolstered its managed security services suite -- which helps clientele to prevent, mitigate and respond to cyberattacks. The telecom giant's security strategy leans heavily on analytics and big data analysis -- based on CenturyLink's 2014 buyout of Cognilytics.

The managed security services market will reach $35.53 billion in 2020, up from $17.79 billion in 2015, according to Research and Markets. Still, intense competition looms across the market.

Most of the major telcos and public cloud service providers offer some form of managed security services. And smaller MSPs have been pushing beyond endpoint security to plug into data-driven security systems.

Telco Clouds and Data Centers

Meanwhile, big telcos are striving to manage cloud, managed and data center services. In recent months, both CenturyLink and Verizon Business have explored the potential sale of their respective data centers.

CenturyLink has stated that it plans to remain in the cloud and managed services market, regardless of who owns the underlying data center real estate. Verizon, meanwhile, has scaled back some of its public cloud services and is starting to work more closely with third-party CSPs. So far, neither CenturyLink nor Verizon have announced data center sales.