Microsoft Azure Looks to Secure ‘Data Estates’

Cloud giants continue to snap up data management and security startups as they add new capabilities aimed at enterprise customers in the midst of digital transitions.

The latest example is Microsoft’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) deal to acquire BlueTalon, a “unified” data access control vendor aimed at on-premise and cloud infrastructure. The deal would help Microsoft Azure cloud customers manage data privacy and governance across emerging “data estates,” Microsoft said Monday (July 29).

As defined by Microsoft, data estates are diverse collections of “fit-for-purpose” platforms ranging from NoSQL and relational database management systems to data lakes and software-as-a-service applications. These platforms run either on-premise or in the cloud and are capable of processing all manner of data formats and varying data volumes.

The increased size and diversity of data estates has made governance and management more demanding. BlueTalon’s access control framework would provide the Azure data platform users greater visibility and control over data estates, the companies said.

“This acquisition will enhance our ability to empower enterprises across industries to digitally transform while ensuring right use of data with centralized data governance at scale through Azure,” Rohan Kumar, a Microsoft corporate vice president at its Azure Data unit said in a blog post announcing the acquisition.

Founded in 2013, BlueTalon initially focused on data governance for Hadoop and other databases. In response to the expanding number of databases constituting data estates, the Redwood City, Calif., company developed its data access control tool to handle a diverse mix of data platforms.

The rollout of its unified approach coincided with partnerships with hyperscale cloud providers looking to beef up data governance capabilities. Those partnership led to the acquisition by Microsoft Azure.

BlueTalon will join Microsoft’s Azure Data Governance unit. Other terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Recent items:

Big Data Security: Progress is Made, But Is It Enough?

BlueTalon Delivers Fine-Grained Protection of HDFS Data