A month after it was reported that Microsoft was in talks to buy cybersecurity player Mandiant, it has emerged that Google may also be interested in making a bid.

The Information reported yesterday (7 March) that Google is in talks to acquire the business in a multibillion-dollar deal, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions.

Such a deal could bolster Google’s cloud computing business and help it compete with larger rival Microsoft, the report added.

This is an area that Google has been investing in recently, adding Israeli cybersecurity start-up Siemplify to its cloud security team earlier this year.

But Google isn’t the only company said to be interested in Mandiant. Last month, Bloomberg reported that Microsoft was in talks to acquire the business in a bid to further bolster its own cybersecurity efforts.

This would be on top of its recent acquisitions of cybersecurity firm RiskIQ and security start-ups ReFirm Labs and CyberX.

The Information reported that bids for Mandiant were due at the end of February. Mandiant, Microsoft or Google have not commented on a potential deal.

Mandiant offers managed detection and incident response services, and is credited with helping to discover the SolarWinds hack in 2020.

The company was acquired by FireEye in 2014 in a deal worth more than $1bn, but became an independent entity again last year after the FireEye product business was sold to McAfee Enterprise.

Its revenue reached $483m in 2021, a 21pc increase over the previous year, and the company currently has a market cap of around $5bn.

According to CNBC, Mandiant shares were up 16pc in closing yesterday following the report about a potential Google takeover.

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