Blancco Technology Group today announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Tabernus, a leading provider of data erasure software and hardware solutions used by organizations to completely remove data from hard drive storage devices. In addition to its numerous accreditations from NATO, US Department of Defense and CESG, Tabernus counts many of the world’s most innovative technology, finance and retail brands as global customers.

The deal supports Blancco Technology Group’s ambitions of expanding its B2B data erasure software business and adding consumer security solutions and integrating with Internet of Things technologies, such as Internet-connected televisions, connected cars, smart thermostats and wearable health-monitoring devices.

“For many years, there have been two distinct leaders setting the standard for best-in-class data erasure products – Blancco and Tabernus,” said Blancco Technology Group CEO, Pat Clawson. “By combining the exceptional products, accreditations and talent of both organizations, we’re able to eliminate redundancies in the marketplace, build new and better products, and educate the global market on the most effective methods for managing and protecting information created, stored and shared across the digital universe.”

As part of the acquisition, Tabernus President, Khalid Elibiary, will join Blancco Technology Group as Vice President of Customer Experience. In this new role, Elibiary will focus on creating an exceptional customer experience throughout the entire lifecycle of IT equipment. Working in collaboration with multiple discipline groups within Blancco Technology Group, his team will look for ways to improve the quality and accessibility of customer support processes, while also educating customers on all aspects of data security.

“Most data protection discussions tend to focus on network ‘hacks,’” said Khalid Elibiary, President of Tabernus. “But in reality, the most immediate and grave security threats aren’t always sophisticated or complicated. Data breaches can happen simply because an individual or a company doesn’t understand the need for data security, doesn’t know enough about the different data erasure methods and their effectiveness, or is careless with implementing and monitoring IT processes. I’m confident that, together, we’ll be able to spend as much time and resources on educating businesses and consumers alike on data protection methods, best practices and areas for improvement, as we will on building better products.”