SurfControl Says It's A Potential Acquisition Target

In a statement issued Thursday, SurfControl said it has been approached by an unnamed firm in a move that "may or may not result in an offer for the company." SurfControl said its board is considering its response to the overture, as well as "other strategic options," and will update shareholders when appropriate.

SurfControl officials couldn't be reached for comment.

In July, SurfControl acquired U.K.-based managed security service provider Blackspider for $37 million, which enabled SurfControl to offer its security technology via software, appliances and on-demand services to secure e-mail and the Web. That deal, and the fact that SurfControl CEO Patricia Sueltz and CIO Max Rayner joined the company from Salesforce.com, had led many channel partners to expect the vendor to adopt a managed services model.

"Everyone predicted there would be continued movement toward a managed outsourced model," said Peter Bybee, president and CEO of Network Vigilance, a San Diego-based solution provider.

However, many partners also believed that SurfControl would continue to acquire other vendors, rather than be acquired itself, Bybee added.

Earlier this month, SurfControl rolled out improvements to its SurfControl Partner Program. The enhancements included a partner portal, revamped partner program levels and improved marketing support and certification.