Lockheed Martin [LMT] said Wednesday that is acquiring cyber firm Industrial Defender
, which provides security solutions for control systems in the utilities and chemicals industries.
“Industrial Defender’s expertise in cyber security for critical infrastructure is a natural extension of our commercial cyber security business,” Lockheed Martin’s President and CEO Marillyn Hewson said in a statement. 
The acquisition will provide Lockheed Martin new customers and cyber capabilities, including the ability to protect industrial controls for power plants, pipelines and chemical factories from cyber threats. Industrial Defender will also contribute its services related to security monitoring, backup and disaster recovery, a spokesman said.
A privately held company in Foxborough, Mass., Industrial Defender released its first security solution in 2003. Since then, it has provided its technologies to more than 400 companies across 25 countries.
“This company was founded on the belief that the challenges of global critical infrastructure cybersecurity, specifically related to mission critical industrial control systems, is unique and requires a very specialized approach. Lockheed Martin’s acquisition of Industrial Defender affirms these core beliefs,” CEO Brian Ahern wrote in a blog post.
The safety of the nation’s critical infrastructure has been at the forefront of cyber policy for the past year after the White House issued Executive Order 13636 “Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity” in February 2013. The executive order resulted in the Cybersecurity Framework outlining best practices for industry from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and a complementary threat information sharing program from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). While both the framework and information sharing remain voluntary, experts have suggested that they will become the new baseline for critical infrastructure providers.
The details of the acquisition, including Industrial Defender’s sales and financial adviser, were not made public. The deal is expected to close within 30 days.