Black Lotus, the pure-play DDoS Mitigation Company has been acquired by Level 3 for an undisclosed amount. These two companies are the perfect match for each other, and the timing impeccable. In one respect, we can blame Akamai for this acquisition. Previously, Level 3 partnered with Prolexic, and resold the Prolexic DDoS Mitigation Service to enterprise customers. After Akamai acquired Prolexic, Level 3 was left without a DDoS Mitigation offering. Prolexic and Level 3 could have continued their relationship, but it didn’t make sense, since Akamai and Level 3 are fierce competitors in the CDN space.
Without a DDoS Mitigation Story, Level 3 took the next step and hired Chris Ricther away from CenturyLink to build up its Security / DDoS Mitigation offering. Chris Richter is SVP of Managed Security Services at Level 3, and a Product Manager rock star in the security space. He’s a veteran Product Manager that has fifteen years experience in managed security, going all the way back to the days of Exodus Communications. At last count, Black Lotus had five scrubbing centers, so it will be a nice addition to the Level 3 security portfolio. Also, we can assume that Level 3 will move over all of Black Lotus infrastructure, including data centers and transit over to the Level 3 network.
Key Takeaway
I think Level 3 can learn more from Black Lotus about DDoS Mitigation, than the other way around. Black Lotus has focused on DDoS Mitigation for many years, and they have a decent client roster. Also, Black Lotus is more in tune with the competition and pricing in the DDoS Mitigation space than Level 3. Black Lotus can bring its best practices, experience, and know-how to Level 3. This will come in handy when competing against Akamai + Prolexic on deals requiring the CDN + DDoS Mitigation bundle.