John Durie: ACCC now formally investigating Google’s $7.9 billion Mandiant acquisition

The ACCC is now formally investigating Google’s $7.9 billion acquisition of cybersecurity firm Mandiant as part of its push into cloud computing.

As previously flagged in SmartCompany, the Mandiant deal is Google’s second biggest ever behind the $18.6 billion takeover of Motorola in 2012.

That acquisition was a disaster and Google sold the mobile phone company to Lenovo two years later for $5.6 billion.

Google is a laggard in the cloud computing game, ranking third behind Amazon‘s AWAS and Microsoft’s Azure.

Google is keen to extend its platform dominance by storing data in the cloud for small and bigger businesses, and because of the cybersecurity issues on the cloud the deal is seen as a key step by the company to match its bigger rivals.

The US Justice Department is already investigating the deal for potential anti-trust problems, while the ACCC investigation is due to conclude in September.

Because of Google’s dominant position in the search and ad tech markets, regulators are concerned the digital platform giant is using strength in one field to extend their influence in others.

ACCC chief Gina Cass-Gottlieb has already flagged maintaining a tough stance against the digital platform giants.