Nokia signs agreement to sell security applianc...
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Combination is natural culmination of successful 12-year
collaboration between companies
Espoo, Finland and Mountain View, CA, USA - Nokia announced today
that it has signed an agreement for Check Point Software Technologies
to acquire Nokia's security appliance business. The two businesses
have collaborated for over a decade to deliver industry-leading
enterprise security solutions, and this agreement is the natural
culmination of that long-standing collaboration.
"For over 10 years, the security appliance business within Nokia has
held a leading position in the security appliance market. Our IP
security platforms have developed a well-deserved reputation as the
premier platform on which to deploy Check Point's leading security
software," said Tom Furlong, Senior Vice President of Services &
Software at Nokia. "This business fits naturally with Check Point,
and the combination will provide a great path forward for the
thousands of customers who depend on Nokia security solutions today."
"As a pioneer in security appliances, the Nokia security appliance
business has been an important strategic partner for Check Point and
has helped us achieve early leadership in the security appliance
market," said Gil Shwed, Chairman and CEO at Check Point. "Adding
Nokia's security appliance portfolio into Check Point's broad range
of security solutions is the natural conclusion of our long
collaboration, and will assure a smooth path forward for our mutual
customers."
Check Point and Nokia have long provided customers with a range of
best-of-breed security solutions, proven in high-performance, mission
critical environments. Nokia's security appliance business provides
purpose-built security platforms optimized for Check Point Firewall,
virtual private network (VPN) and unified threat management (UTM)
software. About 85 percent of Fortune 500 companies have bought
Nokia's security platforms. More than 220,000 Nokia appliances have
been installed with over 23,000 customers worldwide.
Check Point has a broad range of security gateways, available as
software as well as dedicated appliances. More than 700,000 Check
Point security gateways have been licensed with over 100,000
customers worldwide. Check Point's customer base includes 100
percent of Fortune 100 and 98 percent of Fortune 500 companies.
The agreement between Nokia and Check Point is expected to close in
the quarter ending in March 31, 2009. It is subject to regulatory
approvals and customary closing conditions.
About Nokia
Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformation and
growth of the converging Internet and communications industries. We
make a wide range of mobile devices with services and software that
enable people to experience music, navigation, video, television,
imaging, games, business mobility and more. Developing and growing
our offering of consumer Internet services, as well as our enterprise
solutions and software, is a key area of focus. We also provide
equipment, solutions and services for communications networks through
Nokia Siemens Networks.
About Check Point Software Technologies
Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. is the leader in securing the
Internet. Check Point offers total security solutions featuring a
unified gateway, single endpoint agent and single management
architecture, customized to fit customers' dynamic business needs.
This combination is unique and is a result of our leadership and
innovation in the enterprise firewall, personal firewall/endpoint,
data security and VPN markets.
Check Point's pure focus is on information security. Through its NGX
platform, Check Point delivers a unified security architecture to
protect business communications and resources, including corporate
networks and applications, remote employees, branch offices and
partner extranets. The company also offers market-leading endpoint
and data security solutions with Check Point Endpoint Security
products, protecting and encrypting sensitive corporate information
stored on PCs and other mobile computing devices. Check Point's
award-winning ZoneAlarm solutions protect millions of consumer PCs
from hackers, spyware and identity theft. Check Point solutions are
sold, integrated and serviced by a network of Check Point partners
around the world and its customers include 100 percent of Fortune 100
companies and tens of thousands of businesses and organizations of
all sizes.
It should be noted that certain statements herein which are not
historical facts, including, without limitation, those regarding: A)
the timing of product, services and solution deliveries; B) our
ability to develop, implement and commercialize new products,
services, solutions and technologies; C) expectations regarding
market growth, developments and structural changes; D) expectations
regarding our mobile device volume growth, market share, prices and
margins; E) expectations and targets for our results of operations;
F) the outcome of pending and threatened litigation; G) expectations
regarding the successful completion of contemplated acquisitions on a
timely basis and our ability to achieve the set targets upon the
completion of such acquisitions; and H) statements preceded by
"believe," "expect," "anticipate," "foresee," "target," "estimate,"
"designed," "plans," "will" or similar expressions are
forward-looking statements. These statements are based on
management's best assumptions and beliefs in light of the information
currently available to it. Because they involve risks and
uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from the results
that we currently expect. Factors that could cause these differences
include, but are not limited to: 1) the deteriorating global economic
conditions and related financial crisis and their impacts on us, our
customers, suppliers, and collaborative partners; 2) competitiveness
of our product, service and solutions portfolio; 3) the extent of the
growth of the mobile communications industry; 4) the growth and
profitability of the new market segments that we target and our
ability to successfully develop or acquire and market products,
services and solutions in those segments; 5) our ability to
successfully manage costs; 6) the intensity of competition in the
mobile communications industry and our ability to maintain or improve
our market position or respond successfully to changes in the
competitive landscape; 7) the impact of changes in technology and our
ability to develop or otherwise acquire complex technologies as
required by the market, with full rights needed to use; 8) timely and
successful commercialization of complex technologies as new advanced
products, services and solutions; 9) our ability to protect the
complex technologies, which we or others develop or that we license,
from claims that we have infringed third parties' intellectual
property rights, as well as our unrestricted use on commercially
acceptable terms of certain technologies in our products, services
and solution offerings; 10) our ability to protect numerous Nokia and
Nokia Siemens Networks patented, standardized or proprietary
technologies from third-party infringement or actions to invalidate
the intellectual property rights of these technologies; 11) Nokia
Siemens Networks' ability to achieve the expected benefits and
synergies from its formation to the extent and within the time period
anticipated and to successfully integrate its operations, personnel
and supporting activities; 12) whether, as a result of investigations
into alleged violations of law by some current or former employees of
Siemens AG ("Siemens"), government authorities or others take further
actions against Siemens and/or its employees that may involve and
affect the carrier-related assets and employees transferred by
Siemens to Nokia Siemens Networks, or there may be undetected
additional violations that may have occurred prior to the transfer,
or ongoing violations that may have occurred after the transfer, of
such assets and employees that could result in additional actions by
government authorities; 13) any impairment of Nokia Siemens Networks
customer relationships resulting from the ongoing government
investigations involving the Siemens carrier-related operations
transferred to Nokia Siemens Networks; 14) occurrence of any actual
or even alleged defects or other quality issues in our products,
services and solutions; 15) our ability to manage efficiently our
manufacturing and logistics, as well as to ensure the quality,
safety, security and timely delivery of our products, services and
solutions; 16) inventory management risks resulting from shifts in
market demand; 17) our ability to source sufficient amounts of fully
functional components and sub-assemblies without interruption and at
acceptable prices; 18) any disruption to information technology
systems and networks that our operations rely on; 19) developments
under large, multi-year contracts or in relation to major customers;
20) economic or political turmoil in emerging market countries where
we do business; 21) our success in collaboration arrangements
relating to development of technologies or new products, services and
solutions; 22) the success, financial condition and performance of
our collaboration partners, suppliers and customers; 23) exchange
rate fluctuations, including, in particular, fluctuations between the
euro, which is our reporting currency, and the US dollar, the Chinese
yuan, the UK pound sterling and the Japanese yen, as well as certain
other currencies; 24) the management of our customer financing
exposure; 25) allegations of possible health risks from
electromagnetic fields generated by base stations and mobile devices
and lawsuits related to them, regardless of merit; 26) unfavorable
outcome of litigations; 27) our ability to recruit, retain and
develop appropriately skilled employees; 28) the impact of changes in
government policies, laws or regulations; and 29) our ability to
effectively and smoothly implement our new organizational structure;
as well as the risk factors specified on pages 10-25 of Nokia's
annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2007 under
"Item 3.D Risk Factors." Other unknown or unpredictable factors or
underlying assumptions subsequently proving to be incorrect could
cause actual results to differ materially from those in the
forward-looking statements. Nokia does not undertake any obligation
to update publicly or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the
extent legally required.
Media Enquires:
Nokia
Communications
Tel. +358 7180 34900
Email: press.services@nokia.com
Nokia
Communications, North America
Tel. +1 972 894 4573
Email: communication.corp@nokia.com
www.nokia.com
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NOKIA
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WKN: 870737;
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