F5 Networks Inc. has gotten its checkbook out again, announcing its fourth significant acquisition in the past couple of years with today’s news that it will buy cloud security firm Threat Stack Inc. for $68 million.

F5 said it’s eager to merge its application security software and application programming interface protection tools with Threat Stack’s offerings to “enhance visibility across application infrastructure and workloads.”

Threat Stack sells real-time threat detection tools for cloud infrastructure and workloads. Unlike other offerings that try to react to a security breach that has been discovered, Threat Stack is proactive, alerting users to known vulnerabilities and scanning infrastructure for holes that need to be plugged.

Threat Stack’s intrusion detection platform works across hybrid cloud, multicloud and container environments and can also integrate with Slack to alert DevOps teams to any security concerns in real time. The platform is used by customers that include Glassdoor Inc., Ping Identity Corp. and Proofpoint Inc.

F5 believes that by integrating Threat Stack’s cloud security tools with its application and API protection offerings, it will make it easier for its users to adopt a consistent security posture on any cloud platform.

The acquisition plays into F5’s ongoing transition beyond its traditional networking hardware business. Under its Chief Executive Francois Locoh-Donou, the company has transitioned into a provider of software and services and is pushing its vision of “adaptive applications.”

“What makes this acquisition interesting is that it brings security and cloud back to reality, in that one (infrastructure) size does not fit all,” said analyst Liz Miller of Constellation Research Inc. “There is a challenge in security to not just respond or react faster but to actually see faster across multiple panes of glass. I’d expect to see more of these types of “closing the gap” acquisitions that address the reality of what security and IT teams are facing: increasing infrastructure complexity in the face of accelerating threats.”

Previous acquisitions made by F5 in pursuit of that vision include its $670 million deal to acquire Nginx Inc. in March 2019, its $1 billion purchase of Shape Security Inc. in January 2020, and its $500 million purchase of Volterra Inc. one year later.

F5 said the deal to acquire Threat Stack will close in the December quarter. Threat Stack CEO Brian Ahern will join F5 as part of the deal, with more details to be announced when it’s completed.

Photo: F5 Networks