IT security leader Trend Micro Inc. has said it’s to buy Hewlett-Packard Co.’s TippingPoint, a provider of network intrusion prevention systems and related gear, in a $300 million deal.

For Trend Micro, it gets its hands on both TippingPoint’s technology and also its huge customers base, while for HP, the deal allows it to wash its hands off of a business unit the company says “no longer fits” as it prepares for its corporate split.

“TippingPoint has been an important component of our security offering but we have decided to partner in network security as opposed to own so we can invest in other areas of our security portfolio,” HP said in its own statement. “After the deal closes [..] HP plans to continue to partner with TippingPoint as a strategic customer and partner in our Enterprise Services, Networking and Enterprise Security Products businesses.”

The terms of the deal will see Trend Micro acquire TippingPoint’s complete portfolio of security products, its intellectual property, and its entire customer base. In addition, HP will also hand over its Zero Day Initiative security team, as well as TippingPoint’s Digital Vaccine LABS threat intelligence database.

Trend Micro believes the deal will position the company as the new “go-to enterprise security provider” for security solutions encompassing the cloud, data center, endpoints and networks. Once the deal has been completed, Trend Micro is also planning to create a new Network Defense business division capable of serving up to 3,500 enterprise clients.

“As an ideal complement to our market-leading protection for data centers and endpoints, this new next-generation network defense solution combines our best-in-class network breach detection system with proven intrusion prevention and response capabilities from TippingPoint,” said Eva Chen, CEO of Trend Micro, in a statement. “Given our tenure with both HP and TippingPoint technology, we are excited about the agility of this acquisition and the value it will create for customers.”

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