Behind the deal: How Carbonite is acquiring Webroot

BROOMFIELD — Two major tech companies are coming together in an effort to protect technology users from both security breaches and the aftermath of losing data.

Carbonite Inc. (Nasdaq: CARB) announced on Thursday it was acquiring Broomfield-based Webroot Inc. for $618.5 million.

That decision stemmed from Boston-based Carbonite’s desire to further protect its customers at the endpoint — what Carbonite calls any laptop, mobile device or tablet in the hands of an individual. Carbonite specializes in data backup and recovery. The company also operates primarily in the cloud — it was an early adopter of the technology.…