What makes Columbia cybersecurity firm Sourcefire worth $2.7B?

Columbia cybersecurity firm Sourcefire is being purchased by Cisco Systems for $2.7 billion in cash, as the Baltimore Business Journal reported Tuesday.
Among big-money tech-company acquisitions in the Baltimore region, Sourcefire ranks high.
But what makes Sourcefire worth almost $3 billion in cash?
In a year that saw a number of high-profile cyber attacks, it probably has to do with Snort, Sourcefire’s open source “network intrusion prevention and detection system” with more than 4 million downloads, as the BBJ points out.

“Firms that provide other technology and Internet services — like Cisco — are looking to expand their capabilities when it comes to cyber security. And companies like Sourcefire, that have been toiling away at cyber security tools for years, have the expertise and resources a behemoth like Cisco wants.”

Read the full article at the Baltimore Business Journal.