Trend Micro facts for kids
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Public (K.K.) | |
Traded as | TYO: 4704 |
Industry | Computer software |
Founded | 24 October 1988Los Angeles, California, U.S. | ,
Founder | Eva Chen Steve Chang Jenny Chang |
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan (global) Irving, Texas, United States (global operational) Taipei, Taiwan (global R&D) |
Area served
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Worldwide |
Key people
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Steve Chang (Chairman) Eva Chen (CEO) |
Products | Cybersecurity software |
Services | Computer security |
Revenue | ![]() |
Operating income
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Total assets | ![]() |
Total equity | ![]() |
Number of employees
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7,000 (2022) |
Trend Micro Inc. is a company from America and Japan that creates special computer programs to keep you safe online. They are like digital superheroes protecting your computers, phones, and other devices from bad stuff like viruses and hackers. Trend Micro makes security software for big computer systems, cloud computing (which is like storing your files on the internet), and all sorts of devices.
The company has research and development (R&D) teams in 16 different places around the world. This helps them stay on top of new threats. Eva Chen is one of the people who started the company, and she has been its main boss (CEO) since 2005. The first CEO, Steve Chang, is now the chairman.
Contents
History
How Trend Micro Started
Trend Micro was started in 1988 in Los Angeles, USA. The founders were Steve Chang, his wife Jenny Chang, and her sister Eva Chen. They used money from Steve Chang's previous business to begin. Soon after, the company's main office moved to Taipei, Taiwan.
In 1992, Trend Micro joined with a Japanese software company. This created Trend Micro Devices, and they set up a main office in Tokyo, Japan. They also made a deal with Intel, a company that makes computer parts. Trend Micro created an anti-virus product for computer networks that Intel sold.
Later, in 1993, another company called Novell started including Trend Micro's product with its network software. By 1996, Trend Micro could sell its own security product, called ServerProtect, around the world.
Growing Bigger
Trend Micro became a public company in 1998. This means people could buy shares of the company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. In 1999, they also started trading on the NASDAQ stock exchange in the United States.
In 2004, Steve Chang, the first CEO, decided to share his leadership roles. Eva Chen became the new CEO in 2005. She had been in charge of technology since 1996. Steve Chang remained the chairman.
Trend Micro also started buying other companies to make its security products even better.
- In 2005, they bought InterMute, a company that made anti-spyware software. Spyware is a type of software that secretly collects information about you.
- They also bought Kelkea, which made software to stop spam and phishing scams (fake emails trying to trick you).
- In 2007, Trend Micro bought HijackThis, a free tool that helps remove unwanted programs.
- Later that year, they bought Provilla, a company that made software to prevent important data from being lost or stolen.
In 2008, Trend Micro bought Identum, a company that made special email encryption software. Encryption helps keep your messages private. They also bought Third Brigade in 2009, which made software to stop intruders and protect computers.
New Technologies and Partnerships
Trend Micro continued to grow in the 2010s.
- In 2010, they bought humyo, a company that offered cloud storage. This is like saving your files online instead of on your computer.
- They also bought Mobile Armor, which made software to encrypt (secure) data on mobile devices.
- In 2012, Trend Micro bought AffirmTrust, a company that provided SSL certificates. These certificates help make websites secure.
- They also acquired Broadweb, a company from Taiwan that developed technology to block bad data on networks in real-time.
In 2013, Trend Micro moved its main US office to Irving, Texas. This helped them bring together different parts of their business.
In 2014, Trend Micro started working with INTERPOL, a big international police organization. Trend Micro shared information about cybercrime threats to help INTERPOL fight online crime around the world. They also helped train INTERPOL staff.
Trend Micro also improved its Cloud App Security to protect services like Microsoft Office 365, Box, Dropbox, and Google Drive from online threats.
In 2015, Trend Micro bought TippingPoint from HP Inc. This deal included a program called the Zero Day Initiative, which finds security weaknesses before bad guys can use them.
In 2017, Trend Micro started a special fund to invest in new technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT refers to everyday objects that are connected to the internet.
In November 2017, Trend Micro bought IMMUNIO. This added new ways to protect cloud systems and check for weaknesses in software. In December 2017, they worked with Telco Systems to create a new cybersecurity platform for virtual networks.
In April 2018, Trend Micro joined the Cybersecurity Tech Accord. This is an agreement between companies to protect all customers from online attacks.
In August 2018, some people found that certain Trend Micro products for Mac computers were collecting too much user data, like browsing history. Apple removed these products from its App Store. Trend Micro admitted that the products had collected and sent this data. They apologized for the concern this caused and explained it was due to common code.
In 2018, Trend Micro also partnered with HITRUST to create a center for managing cyber risks. They launched Apex One Endpoint Security, a new security product for computers. They also formed a new company called TXOne Networks with Moxa Inc. This company focuses on security for industrial internet systems.
In 2019, Trend Micro partnered with a Japanese cybersecurity center to share threat information. They also worked with Luxoft Holding to secure connected cars from cyberattacks. Trend Micro expanded its services for Microsoft Azure and launched a new service called XDR to detect and respond to threats across different systems.
In October 2019, Trend Micro partnered with Snyk to fix open-source software weaknesses. They also bought Cloud Conformity, a company that helps manage cloud security. In November, Trend Micro launched Cloud One, a set of security products for companies using cloud platforms.
Recent Developments (2020s)
In July 2020, Trend Micro launched Cloud One – Conformity, a product from their purchase of Cloud Conformity. This helps organizations fix mistakes and security risks in the cloud.
In November 2020, Trend Micro released Cloud One – Network Security to protect private cloud networks. They also worked with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to make it easier for companies to use their security tools. Trend Micro also launched Trend Micro Check, a free tool to help identify fraud and fake information.
In December 2020, they added Cloud One – File Storage Security to their Cloud One products.
In January 2021, Trend Micro launched Cloud One – Container Security. In February, they launched Vision One, a platform that helps customers find and fix threats from one place.
In May 2021, Trend Micro launched TXOne StellarProtect for industrial systems and Cloud One – Open Source Security by Snyk.
In September 2021, Trend Micro launched Service One to help customers get support for managing their security. In October, they partnered with Fujitsu Limited to make connected cars more secure.
In April 2022, Trend Micro announced Trend Micro One, a platform that helps customers see, detect, and protect against threats across all their security systems. In June, they announced VicOne, a special security offering for electric and connected cars. In October, Trend Micro formed a committee with US government officials to work together on cybersecurity threats.
In January 2023, Trend Micro started CTOne, a new company focused on securing 5G networks. In February, they bought Anylz, a company that provides technology for security operations centers. In April, Trend Micro started the Risk to Resilience World Tour, visiting many cities to help organizations reduce cyber risks.
In July 2023, Trend Micro launched Trend Vision One with a special AI assistant called Companion. In the same month, Trend Micro became an official partner of the McLaren Formula E Team for racing.
How Trend Micro Protects You
In June 2008, Trend Micro introduced its Smart Protection Network. This is like a giant brain in the cloud that collects information about online threats from all over the world. It helps protect customers from bad things like malware (software that harms your computer), phishing attacks, and other dangers from the internet, emails, and mobile devices.
In 2012, Trend Micro added "big data analytics" to this network. This means the network can use smart ways to look at huge amounts of information and find new security threats based on how they behave. This network works with other antivirus programs to keep your devices safe without needing constant updates.
Trend Micro gets its threat information from TrendLabs. This is the company's research, development, and support center. TrendLabs has ten labs around the world, with its main office in the Philippines. It has 1,200 security experts and engineers working to keep you safe.
In February 2018, Trend Micro worked with Panasonic to build safer systems for automated cars. In April 2018, the company released a tool that helps identify different writing styles to fight against email fraud.
See also
- Antivirus software
- Cloud security
- Comparison of antivirus software
- Comparison of computer viruses