HP to Buy ArcSight for $1.5 Billion

As expected, Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) has agreed to acquire ArcSight for about $1.5 billion, cash. HP said this morning that it will pay $43.50 a share for the security-software maker, a 24 percent premium over it’s closing price last Friday. “From a security perspective, the perimeter of today’s enterprise is porous, putting enormous pressure on clients’ risk and compliance systems,” Bill Veghte, HP’s executive vice president of software and solutions, said in a statement. “The combination of HP and ArcSight will provide clients with the ability to fortify their applications, proactively monitor events and respond to threats.”