ArcSight
Enterprise security information and event management and security analytics software brand.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
ArcSight is an enterprise cybersecurity software brand focused on security information and event management (SIEM), log management, security analytics, threat intelligence, and incident-response workflows. Its products are designed to collect and normalize large volumes of security and operational data, correlate events across systems, help analysts identify and prioritize threats, and support investigation, response, audit, and regulatory-compliance activities. The brand serves enterprise organizations and government agencies that need centralized visibility across networks, endpoints, applications, identity systems, cloud environments, and other technology infrastructure. The business was incorporated in May 2000 in California under the name Wahoo Technologies. Its initial plan involved a caching and acceleration platform, but interviews with prospective customers led the founding team to focus on a different problem: organizations were receiving more security data than their existing tools could effectively analyze. The company adopted the ArcSight name in January 2001 and built its business around the correlation and analysis of security events. Alex Daly served as founding chief executive, Hugh Njemanze as founding chief technology officer, and Pravin Kothari as founding vice president of engineering. Pat Figley was the company's first sales director and was credited in the company's early strategic shift with identifying the market need for security-event analysis. ArcSight developed from a venture-backed security software company into a publicly traded enterprise-software vendor. It filed for an initial public offering in September 2007 and began trading on the Nasdaq in February 2008 under the symbol ARST. Tom Reilly became chief executive in 2008 after Robert Shaw, who had succeeded Daly in 2001, retired for health reasons. During the late 2000s, the company expanded its portfolio around its Enterprise Security Manager and Logger products and added capabilities for identity analysis, security investigation, and compliance-oriented monitoring. Hewlett-Packard announced an agreement to acquire ArcSight in September 2010 for approximately $1.5 billion, and the transaction closed on October 22, 2010. ArcSight then became part of HP's enterprise-security software portfolio. At the time of the acquisition, the company reported more than one thousand customers. When Hewlett Packard Enterprise separated from HP Inc., ArcSight and other enterprise-security software assets moved into Hewlett Packard Enterprise. In 2017, those software assets were transferred as part of the combination of HPE's software business with Micro Focus. The transaction was completed on September 1, 2017. Under Micro Focus, the ArcSight portfolio continued to include products such as ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager, ArcSight Logger, ArcSight Express, ArcSight Investigate, ArcSight Data Platform, ArcMC, and Event Broker. Product releases documented in the late 2010s show the brand's continuing emphasis on large-scale event management, investigation, data collection, and analytics. Micro Focus also announced the acquisition of Interset in February 2019, with the stated intention of applying Interset's security-analytics technology to strengthen the ArcSight portfolio. OpenText acquired Micro Focus in 2023, bringing ArcSight into the OpenText cybersecurity business. ArcSight is therefore no longer an independent public company; it operates as a cybersecurity product brand within the successive ownership structure of Hewlett-Packard, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Micro Focus, and OpenText. Its historical identity remains closely associated with enterprise SIEM, while its broader product scope covers security analytics, log management, investigation, threat detection, incident response, and compliance support.
History
ArcSight was incorporated in May 2000 and initially operated from Cupertino, California. The company was first known as Wahoo Technologies. Its original business plan concerned a caching and acceleration platform, but discussions with potential customers revealed a more urgent enterprise problem: organizations were collecting more security-related data than their existing systems could interpret efficiently. The founding team redirected the business toward security-event analysis and correlation, and formally adopted the ArcSight name in January 2001. Alex Daly was the founding chief executive, Hugh Njemanze the founding chief technology officer, and Pravin Kothari the founding vice president of engineering. Pat Figley served as the first director of sales and played an important role in identifying the market opportunity around excessive volumes of security data. The resulting product strategy centered on collecting events from many sources, normalizing them, detecting relationships among them, and helping security teams distinguish meaningful threats from routine activity. In July 2001, Robert Shaw succeeded Daly as chief executive. ArcSight expanded its enterprise-security portfolio during the 2000s, developing products for security information and event management, log management, identity analysis, investigation, and compliance. The company filed for an initial public offering on September 11, 2007, and its shares began trading on the Nasdaq on February 14, 2008 under the symbol ARST. Tom Reilly became chief executive in 2008, while Shaw retired effective October 1 of that year for health reasons. ArcSight's public-market debut occurred during a period when few technology companies were going public, and it was characterized as the only Silicon Valley company to enter the Nasdaq in 2008. Hewlett-Packard agreed to acquire ArcSight in September 2010 for approximately $1.5 billion. The acquisition closed on October 22, 2010. ArcSight said it had more than one thousand customers at the time. Under HP, the brand became part of a broader enterprise-security software portfolio while retaining its identity as a specialized SIEM and security-analytics offering. Product development continued with releases including ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager, Logger, IdentityView, and related data-management and investigation tools. Following the separation of Hewlett Packard Enterprise from HP Inc., ArcSight moved with the enterprise software assets to Hewlett Packard Enterprise. In September 2016, HPE announced that its software assets, including ArcSight and the HP Enterprise Security Products group, would be spun out and combined with Micro Focus. HPE shareholders were to retain majority ownership of the resulting independent company. The transaction closed on September 1, 2017. Micro Focus described the deal as consistent with its strategy of acquiring and managing mature infrastructure-software products. By January 2019, the documented ArcSight portfolio included Enterprise Security Manager version 7.0, Express version 5.0, Investigate version 2.20, and Data Platform version 2.31, with Logger, ArcMC, and Event Broker technologies included in the platform. In February 2019, Micro Focus announced the acquisition of Interset, a security-analytics company, and stated that Interset technology would be used to enhance ArcSight. OpenText acquired Micro Focus in 2023, making ArcSight an OpenText cybersecurity brand. Its historical progression is therefore that of an independent SIEM pioneer becoming a product portfolio within several larger enterprise-software companies.
- 2023
OpenText acquires Micro Focus
[1]OpenText's acquisition of Micro Focus brought ArcSight into the OpenText cybersecurity portfolio.
- 2019
Interset acquisition announced
[1]Micro Focus announced the acquisition of Interset and plans to apply its security-analytics technology to ArcSight.
- 2017
Transferred to Micro Focus
[1]The combination of HPE's software business with Micro Focus closed on September 1, 2017, transferring ArcSight to Micro Focus.
- 2010
Acquired by Hewlett-Packard
[1]Hewlett-Packard completed its acquisition of ArcSight on October 22, 2010.
- 2008
Nasdaq listing
[1]ArcSight began trading on Nasdaq under the ticker ARST in February 2008.
- 2007
Initial public offering filed
[1]ArcSight filed for an initial public offering in September 2007.
- 2001
ArcSight name adopted
[1]After customer research redirected the company toward security-event analysis and correlation, the business formally adopted the ArcSight name in January.
- 2001
Robert Shaw becomes CEO
[1]Robert Shaw succeeded founding chief executive Alex Daly in July 2001.
- 2000
Company incorporated
[1]ArcSight was incorporated in May 2000 in California, initially operating as Wahoo Technologies and focusing on a different technology concept before entering cybersecurity.
Products and positioning
A security-operations platform for enterprises and government agencies that need to aggregate, correlate, investigate, and govern high-volume security-event data across complex IT environments.
Security information and event management
ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager
ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager is the central SIEM offering associated with the brand. It aggregates security events from diverse infrastructure sources, applies correlation and analysis to identify potentially significant activity, and supports security-operations workflows. Its historical role has been to help large organizations reduce the noise created by high-volume event streams, prioritize incidents, investigate relationships among events, and produce information useful for audit and compliance programs.
Log management
ArcSight Logger
ArcSight Logger is a log-management technology designed to collect, store, search, and analyze large volumes of machine-generated data. It forms part of the broader ArcSight data and event-management architecture and can support investigations, operational monitoring, retention requirements, and compliance activities. Logger technology was also included in the ArcSight Data Platform portfolio documented under Micro Focus.
Security monitoring
ArcSight Express
ArcSight Express is a security-monitoring product in the ArcSight family. It provides a packaged approach to collecting and reviewing security events and is intended to make SIEM capabilities available without requiring the full scope of a larger deployment. A version 5.0 release was documented in the ArcSight portfolio by January 2019.
Security investigation and analytics
ArcSight Investigate
ArcSight Investigate is focused on searching and examining security data during threat-hunting and incident-investigation activities. It complements event-correlation capabilities by helping analysts explore data, examine suspicious activity, and develop a clearer understanding of incidents. The documented portfolio included Investigate version 2.20 by January 2019.
Security data platform
ArcSight Data Platform
ArcSight Data Platform provides data-management and integration capabilities for the ArcSight ecosystem. It includes or works with technologies such as Logger, ArcSight Management Center, and Event Broker, supporting the movement, administration, and use of security data across the product portfolio. A version 2.31 release was documented by January 2019.
Security-platform administration
ArcSight Management Center
ArcSight Management Center, commonly referred to as ArcMC, is an administrative and management technology associated with the ArcSight platform. It helps organizations manage components and deployments within a broader ArcSight environment, supporting centralized administration of security-data and event-management infrastructure.
Security-event integration
ArcSight Event Broker
ArcSight Event Broker is an event-distribution and integration technology in the ArcSight Data Platform family. It is intended to help move security events among platform components and connected systems, supporting scalable data flows and integration within security-operations environments.
Brand decisions
2023
OpenText acquisition of Micro FocusM&ABackground
OpenText expanded its enterprise information-management and cybersecurity portfolio through the acquisition of Micro Focus.
Action taken
OpenText acquired Micro Focus, including the ArcSight business and products.
Aftermath
ArcSight became part of OpenText's cybersecurity product portfolio.
2019
Micro Focus acquisition of IntersetM&ABackground
Micro Focus sought to strengthen its security-analytics capabilities and extend the value of its ArcSight portfolio.
Action taken
Micro Focus announced the acquisition of Interset and said its technology would be used to enhance ArcSight.
Aftermath
Interset's analytics capabilities were positioned as a potential addition to ArcSight's threat-protection and security-analysis offering.
2017
HPE software business combination with Micro FocusM&ABackground
Hewlett Packard Enterprise announced that its software assets, including ArcSight, would be separated from HPE and combined with Micro Focus.
Action taken
The transaction was completed on September 1, 2017, transferring ArcSight into Micro Focus.
Aftermath
ArcSight continued as part of an independent enterprise-software company focused on managing mature infrastructure and security products.
2010
Hewlett-Packard acquisitionM&ABackground
Hewlett-Packard sought to expand its enterprise-security software capabilities, while ArcSight had built a significant SIEM customer base.
Action taken
HP agreed to acquire ArcSight for approximately $1.5 billion and completed the transaction on October 22, 2010.
Aftermath
ArcSight became part of HP's enterprise-security software portfolio and ceased operating as an independent public company.
Acquisition value. Approximately $1.5 billion announced transaction value (2010)
2007
Initial public offering filingOtherBackground
ArcSight had expanded as an enterprise security software vendor and sought access to public capital markets.
Action taken
The company filed for an initial public offering in September 2007.
Aftermath
ArcSight began trading on Nasdaq in February 2008 under the symbol ARST.
2000
Shift from caching technology to security-event analysisStrategyBackground
The company's original plan concerned a caching and acceleration platform, but customer interviews indicated that enterprises had difficulty handling excessive volumes of security data.
Action taken
The founding team redirected the business toward security-event analysis and correlation and later renamed the company ArcSight.
Aftermath
The strategic shift established the product and market focus that defined ArcSight as an enterprise SIEM and security-analytics company.
Recent events
- 2023
OpenText acquires Micro Focus[1]
M&A
OpenText completed its acquisition of Micro Focus, bringing ArcSight into the OpenText cybersecurity portfolio.
- 2019
ArcSight portfolio reaches new documented product versions[1]
Product generation
The portfolio was documented with ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager 7.0, ArcSight Express 5.0, ArcSight Investigate 2.20, and ArcSight Data Platform 2.31, including Logger, ArcMC, and Event Broker technologies.
- 2019
Micro Focus announces acquisition of Interset[1]
M&A · Product launch
Micro Focus announced its acquisition of Interset, a security-analytics company, and said it planned to use Interset technology to add value to the ArcSight portfolio.
- 2017
Micro Focus combination closes[1]
M&A
The combination of HPE's software business with Micro Focus was completed, transferring ArcSight into the Micro Focus organization.
- 2016
HPE announces software-business combination with Micro Focus[1]
M&A
Hewlett Packard Enterprise announced that its software assets, including ArcSight and the broader HP Enterprise Security Products group, would be spun out and combined with Micro Focus.
- 2010
Hewlett-Packard announces agreement to acquire ArcSight[1]
M&A
Hewlett-Packard announced an agreement to purchase ArcSight for approximately $1.5 billion, expanding HP's enterprise-security software capabilities.
- 2010
Hewlett-Packard completes ArcSight acquisition[1]
M&A
The acquisition of ArcSight by Hewlett-Packard was completed on October 22, bringing the company into HP's enterprise-security software organization.
- 2008
ArcSight begins Nasdaq trading[1]
Other
ArcSight offered its shares on the Nasdaq under the symbol ARST. It was described as the only Silicon Valley company to enter the Nasdaq during 2008, a difficult year for technology offerings.
- 2008
Tom Reilly becomes chief executive[1]
Leadership change
Tom Reilly was appointed chief executive after Robert Shaw announced his retirement, citing health reasons.
- 2007
ArcSight files for an initial public offering[1]
Other
ArcSight filed documentation for a proposed initial public offering, marking its transition from private security-software company toward the public markets.
Sources1 sources
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