"No need to worry" would be the mantra Leo Cole, VP Marketing for Websense, had for Surfcontrol users. After completing the acquisition, Websense is now on track to integrate Surfcontrol products, technologies... and customers !

"Surfcontrol clients are rightly wondering what's next for them. And we know our competition is going to take this opportunity to steal our customers", says Leo Cole.

To avoid losing those newly-acquired customers, Websense devised a five-step plan :

• SurfControl Web Filter and Mobile Filter products are being supported until 2011.
• Customers will get to keep their current pricing for all support renewal.
• Development will continue on supported Surfcontrol products. "The teams will keep working on their products, we will just re-organize priorities within Websense development teams, and integrate their work accordingly", explains Leo Cole. 
• Websense technology will be introduced in future Surfcontrol products upgrade (same URL filtering technology, for example). This will be a free perk for existing customers.
• Transparency about the roadmap and state of the integration project.

Finally, channel partners will be able to distribute both solutions as needed (A good move since Websense is more present in the US while Surfcontrol better known in Europe).

Of course, many integration pledges have not been honored in the past, and Surfcontrol users might still be skeptical. Websense, though, have a good track record with the integration of Port Authority, its past Data Leak Prevention acquisition. PA was integrated and working with Websense technology within six months. According to Cole, Websense, Port Authority and SurfControl development teams are already working under a common Websense VP. 

Additionally, Websense announced being working on a client endpoint protection device, based on all those acquired technologies and its own, for 2008.