Salesforce To Acquire Navajo Systems, Beef Up Cloud Encryption?
While Salesforce has not confirmed the acquisition, Dark Reading reported that Salesforce has already acquired Navajo Systems, which will enable Salesforce to add encryption to its cloud portfolio and allay the security fears of cloud hopefuls concerned about data security in the cloud. Salesforce is expected to reveal the acquisition next week at its Dreamforce cloud conference.
Amidst the acquisition rumors, Navajo Systems has also shut down its Web site. The Web site now features the message "Navajo Systems has decided to pursue a different strategy." Last year, Navajo Systems launched a Virtual Private SaaS solution, a virtual appliance that encrypts SaaS application data before it's transmitted from an enterprise to the SaaS provider, including Salesforce.
Salesforce's supposed acquisition of Navajo Systems comes on the heels of another significant acquisition rumor Salesforce is expected to unveil at Dreamforce. Earlier this week, reports surfaced that Salesforce will announce the acquisition of Assistly, a San Francisco-based company that makes an application that adds social media tools to customer communications by letting users interact with customers via Twitter, Facebook, e-mail and other mediums via a single pane.
An Assistly acquisition would add to Salesforce's theme for Dreamforce 2011, which is around the "social enterprise," a confluence of social, mobile and open cloud technologies and platforms.
In an e-mail to CRN this week, Assistly CEO Alex Bard said the company doesn't comment on rumors. Salesforce did not respond to requests for comment regarding either potential acquisition.