Trend Micro said that it posted record profits for the fourth quarter of 2007 and that it is on track to post even bigger profits for the first quarter of 2008.
According to company financial information, Trend Micro earned $231 million in net sales during Q4 2007, which represents a 13% growth. If current trends continue then the company will earn approximately $239 million in net sales during Q1 2008.
The company said that two relatively recent acquisitions have helped the company move into business sectors where it previously had no presence. As a result of acquiring Provilla in late 2007 the company was able to launch it's LeakProof product that helps identify sensitive information and keep that information leaking out of the network through email and other means.
In early 2007 Trend Micro acquired HijackThis, a well-known tool that helps users scan their systems for a wide variety of spyware and malware. Trend incorporated the product into its TrendProtect offering, which is web site reputation monitoring and URL filtering system for consumers.
The company recently drew heavy fire from the open source community for putting legal pressure on Barracuda Networks over their use of ClamAV antivirus software in their appliances. Trend Micro's argument is that ClamAV violates at least one of Trend Micro's patents, which centers on scanning for viruses at a gateway. Because Barracuda Networks uses ClamAV, Trend Micro decided to file a lawsuit against the company even though ClamAV is owned by SourceFire, makers of the hugely popular Snort intrusion detection and prevention system.