-MWR was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Manchester, UK
-The company is among the largest cyber security service providers globally, with a particular focus on enterprise customers
-Solutions include incident response, forensics and Countercept, a threat hunting platform providing extensive proactive attack detection solutions
-MWR serves hundreds of mid-market and large enterprises in the financial sector as well as other industries with critical IT system requirements”
-F-Secure, founded in 1988, is listed on the NASDAQ Helsinki stock exchange and is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland
-F-Secure supports a large number of companies and millions of individual customers, providing cyber security and protection services worldwide
-The company’s solutions include defence and response to cyber attacks, data breaches and widespread ransomware infections
-F-Secure serves consumers and business customers through a network of approximately 200 telecommunications operators, as well as thousands of IT service and retail partners
-Following the acquisition, F-Secure becomes the largest European single source independent provider of cyber security capabilities and detection & response solutions. Adding a significant number of highly skilled security consultants and threat analysts across multiple geographies not only enlarges F-Secure’s global footprint but also allows F-Secure to provide truly global coverage
-MWR has developed one of the most sophisticated technologically advanced threat hunting platforms (Countercept), which is very complementary to F-Secure’s existing capabilities which provides significant scope for synergies
-The combined company will have hundreds of the world’s best cyber security consultants, making F-Secure one of the few truly global technical security advisors positioned to help organisations fight today’s most sophisticated threats
-Arma Partners has built a close relationship with F-Secure over the past several years, having advised on several situations including F-Secure’s acquisition of Steek in 2009
-During this landmark acquisition of MWR by F-Secure, Arma Partners has been F-Secure’s exclusive financial advisor. Arma Partners’ advice included work on outside/ -in due diligence, extensive valuation, synergy, financing and financial impact analyses, preparation of board materials, structuring of the earn-out incentive plans as well as advice on bidding tactics and transaction considerations
-Overall, Arma Partners assisted F-Secure in realising one of their key strategic objectives, drawing on Arma Partners’ deep expertise in cyber security and continued track record of advising on landmark cross-border transactions
-The transaction also illustrates Arma Partners’ first class execution capabilities