AuthenTec has reportedly sold off its Embedded Security Solutions (ESS) division to a company called Inside Secure for $48 million, which leaves Apple with AuthenTec’s fingerprint sensor and identity management assets.
Authentec’s Embedded Security Solutions (ESS) division designs, develops and sells a range of embedded security solutions, centered on the use of encryption algorithms and security blocks to protect data and ensure confidentiality, integrity and availability.
TechCrunch has suggested that one of the reasons for the sale of the non-core technology is to avoid possible regulatory hurdles during the AuthenTec acquisition.
While the sale recoups investment on parts of the business that aren’t considered essential to Apple’s plans for AuthenTec’s assets, it also means there will be less to worry about for any regulators concerned with the possibility of Apple having any undue control over essential technology used in competitors products.
We reported back in July that Apple acquired AuthenTec for $356 million. Speculation at the time was that Apple was interested in the company’s fingerprint scanning technology for use in future products. Several customers of AuthenTec’s fingerprint technology are scrambling to find other suppliers.
