ManTech Buys Cyber Network Operations Practice Of Oceans Edge

U.S. government powerhouse ManTech has purchased a vulnerability research, development and analysis capabilities business unit to bolster its cyberintelligence practice.

The Fairfax, Va.-based company, No. 29 on the CRN 2016 Solution Provider 500, said its acquisition of the cyber business of Reston, Va.-based Oceans Edge will enable the company to better service components of the U.S. Cyber Command.

"This acquisition, along with our acquisition of KCG last year, expands our presence with customers who are critical to our nation's future cyber operations and cyber defense," L. William Varner, president and chief operating officer of ManTech's Mission, Cyber and Intelligence Solutions (MCIS) Group, said in a statement.

[Related: ManTech Predicts Growth From Boost In Federal Spending]

The acquisition is expected to slightly boost ManTech's profitability in 2016, according to the company. Oceans Edge as a whole employs between 11 and 50 people, according to the company's LinkedIn page. The company's cyber unit will become part of ManTech's MCIS practice.

"We look forward to developing next generation capabilities for advanced cyber operations and analytics that will protect our customers from emerging threats," George Pedersen, ManTech's CEO, said in a statement.

Terms of the deal, which has already closed, were not disclosed. ManTech executives were not immediately available for additional comment.

The wireless cybersecurity practice at Oceans Edge focuses on protocol analysis, penetration testing, vulnerability analysis and internal research and development, according to the company's website. The team has expert knowledge of wireless software and hardware and network elements, according to the website.

The deal follows ManTech's June 2015 purchase of Knowledge Consulting Group and April 2015 acquisition of systems engineering, advanced national security and business services company Welkin Associates for $34 million. ManTech also in July sold its commercial software division to red-hot endpoint security startup CounterTack.

Revenue for ManTech plunged close to 50 percent between 2011 and 2015 as the United States began to draw down its military presence in Afghanistan, lowering demand for ManTech’s global logistics, cybersecurity and systems engineering services, as well as other military offerings.

However, the company is now ready to take on a more stable market after a two-year budget resolution between Congress and the White House that raised federal spending $80 billion and lifted a ceiling on borrowing.

ManTech's cybersecurity practice specializes in computer and network design, implementation and operations, offering counter-intrusion support, penetration testing and computer forensics. Existing cybersecurity customers include the intelligence community, the FBI and all branches of the Armed Forces.