UK firm buys two U.S. cyber players
- By Nick Wakeman
- Dec 05, 2011
The British defense and aerospace company Ultra Electronic Holdings plc has closed a pair of U.S. deals this month worth more $115 million.
The acquisition of Zu Industries Inc. for $77 million and Special Operations Technology Inc., also known as Sotech, for $38.4 million build on Ultra’s cybersercurity capabilities.
With Zu, of Doral, Fla., Ultra is gaining access to two proprietary software products that run on commercial hardware. The first is ISIS, an integrated surveillance and intelligence system that processes, stores, filters and retrieves large amounts of data such as voice, text, email and metadata from mobile, fixed line and broadband networks.
The second is Voice Print Analysis, a voice biometric technology that integrates with ISIS to help identify conversations of interest based on matching voice samples against a database of audio files.
Also from Zu is an associated business, Bushido LLC, which makes satellite communications dishes and equipment.
Zu will become part of Ultra’s Prologic business in its information and power systems division.
The acquisition of Sotech brings surveillance and data analytic tools for managing data from mobile, fixed line and broadband networks. Agencies involved in counterterrorism and counternarcotics work with Sotech’s products.
The company’s products combine three analytical approaches, according to Ultra:
- Data centric: Analysis of data to look for attributes and patterns.
- Target centric: Analysis of information onknown targets
- Voice centric: Analysis that enable the identification and tracking of targets with limited information.
Sotech will become part of Ultra’s information and power systems division.
Aronson Capital Partners served as an adviser to Sotech and Zu.
About the Author
Nick Wakeman is the editor-in-chief of Washington Technology. Follow him on Twitter: @nick_wakeman.