Symantec buys Altiris

Symantec Corp. has acquired Altiris Inc., a provider of IT management software, for roughly $830 million cash.

Under the terms of the agreement, Altiris stockholders will get $33 per share of Altiris common stock in cash.

The purchase is expected to boost Symantec's capabilities related to computing endpoints; that is, everything from mobile devices, laptops and desktops to servers and storage assets.

Symantec of Cupertino, Calif., helps customers protect endpoints with security, compliance, and backup and recovery solutions.

Altiris of Lindon, Utah, makes software that helps customers manage and service network endpoints. The company's solutions are aimed at reducing the cost and complexity of tracking, supporting and maintaining an organization's corporate IT assets.

"By combining the endpoint management solutions from Altiris with the security expertise from Symantec, we believe we can offer customers a more comprehensive solution to protect and manage the millions of connected devices that make up the fabric of today's global IT infrastructure," said John Thompson, chairman and CEO of Symantec.