We reporters finally caught on this week to Google’s latest (or so it was before the just announced FeedBurner buy) acquisition.

The biggest name in Mountain View, Ca. picked up one of its neighbors, web-browsing security vendor GreenBorder, on May 11. But because the purchase was announced only in a few paragraphs on GreenBorder’s website, it failed to get the attention of, say, Google’s DoubleClick acquisition announcement of a few weeks back.

Once it hit the wires, it stirred quite a bit of curiosity from bloggers, who wondered just how security-minded Google was planning to become.

Here are a few samples:

“I have mixed feelings. Google will undoubtedly revolutionize the way malware can spread, stop it in its tracks, warn businesses before it gets to their networks release patches in real-time, etc. There is also an argument that Google allows phishing and needs to be fixed before it starts playing policeman. This is largely a moot point in an organization this size, but it would be good for show. OK, so from a pure security standpoint, it should be a good thing.

Google will undoubtedly sink money into other areas of security, and huge amounts of it. This is something which could ruin it for me. I enjoy working in startups. I enjoy working in Europe. I enjoy having a unique view of the security market, and access to businesses on both sides of the pond. Google could severely dilute this for me. So from a personal standpoint, this might be a bad thing.”
- Rob Newby, IT security, the view from here.

“I remember playing with GreenBorder back when it first came out. My concern was would you be able to do everything you normally do while browsing and would it slow down your browsing. In any event, I would imagine as the article I read said that Google will offer this for free now. this could be just the first step by Google into security. It will be interesting to see how they use this and where they go from here. Maybe now we know why they started a security blog What will even be more interesting is how the established security vendors react to Google coming onto their turf. Security is increasingly becoming a game for the big boys, but it is smaller companies like GreenBorder that fuel innovation.”
-Alan Shimel, StillSecure, After All These Years.

“So could this mean more security acquisitions in the future? I hope so, I’d like to see eEye Digital Security get bought for a decent price so my shares will actually be worth something.”
- Security-Protocols

“Some see Google’s acquisition of GreenBorder as their first entry into the security market, and while that may technically be true, this is really a pre-emptive move by Google to secure Web 2.0 apps before security becomes a barrier for them. What better way than to sandbox the browser, much like many SSL-VPN connections do, to help secure the environment the web operates in from malware. Smart move on Google’s part, and even better for not relying on Microsoft to do this for/to them. (Take note, Microsoft).

“Will Google move further into security by offering AV, firewall or other traditional security products? It’s possible (and they’ve surprised us before) but I think not. GreenBorder is a tactical move in their Web 2.0 strategy for providing online web apps, not about Google becoming a true security play.”
- Mitchell Ashley, The Converging Network