iThemes Acquires Better WP Security Plugin and Hires WordPress Security Expert, Chris Wiegman

WordPress Security Expert Chris Wiegman

Cory Miller of iThemes announced today that they have hired WordPress plugin developer and security expert Chris Wiegman. Wiegman is the author of the Better WP Security plugin, which has been downloaded more than 1.2 million times from WordPress.org.

iThemes will be taking over ongoing development and maintenance of Wiegman’s plugin. Better WP Security was something that he had been developing in his spare time. It’s clearly an outstanding plugin, based on the number of 5-star ratings it has received. The plugin will be getting some major love now that it has been acquired by iThemes.

Miller says they also plan to produce a new security plugin within the next couple of months that will help to further lockdown and secure WordPress sites. iThemes will be expanding its educational and training resources to accommodate a rising demand for security products. Miller confirmed that iThemes customers on the front lines are looking for professional help when it comes to safeguarding their websites:

The last couple of years we’ve heard and seen an ever-increasing need for this. In fact, our post on security tips after some attacks in April has been the most popular blog on our site. So the timing couldn’t have been better to pull a hot free agent like Chris Wiegman onto our team. And with backups, ecommerce and the rest of our product lineup, security is a great compliment to what we’re trying to do for our customer community.

The market for WordPress security products will continue to grow as long as WordPress remains a constant target of hackers and spammers. With the acquisition of Better WP Security and its new security expert, iThemes is adding a whole new dimension to its existing set of utility tools for WordPress.

Like backups, good security is an absolutely essential, non-negotiable part of every WordPress site. With WordPress becoming more and more popular (and the dominant solution) the issue of security is only going to come more to the forefront. We saw this need and want to be part of the solution to continue to protect people’s investments online.

Miller says that he hopes to raise awareness on security issues in the WordPress community by providing training, tutorials, support and other resources. Wiegman will be conducting his first webinar, “Introduction to WordPress Security,” on on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 1 p.m. (CST). Registration for the webinar is free and will offer an overview of WordPress security tips, techniques and tricks.