For Net Security, Its DARPA to the Rescue

While leery venture capitalists have kept their hands in their pockets during this slowing economy, Uncle Sam has not. El Gato has heard that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, known for developing defense technology, is one of the few with the money and interest to invest in startups—-specifically existing commercial research facilities that are working on network security and wireless communications projects.

Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the government defense R&D unit, based in Arlington, Va., has been touted more and more in some circles as possibly the only outfit that will be willing to keep network security research financed and on the front burner. "Mmm, DARPA also funds research, huh?" mused the Mouser. "I thought it just developed invisible mind rays and stuff in-house."

Last week, while Palm announced new programs to establish the development of third- party software for its operating system, a friend of the Furry One told the Katt that Microsoft may actually be looking at becoming a Palm OS licensee. After coughing up a major league furball upon hearing the comment, His Hirsuteness regained his composure and asked the tattler why the Redmond Pocket PC mavens would even consider such a move. After all, it was only last December, during the Palm Source conference in Santa Clara, that Microsoft was reportedly courting Palm developers to defect and work on the Pocket PC.

According to the tattler, Microsoft may be considering becoming a Palm licensee to hedge its bets on its upcoming .Net initiatives. Being a licensee could allow Microsoft to build .Net services onto the Palm platform with fewer compatibility issues.

It seems as enterprise management services provider SevenSpace was busily acquiring the customers and assets of fellow MSP StrataSource, it was also going through its third round of layoffs. According to a Tabby tattler, almost simultaneously to the stock-for-assets acquisition, SevenSpace, in Chantilly, Va., cut 21 jobs from its East Coast operations and nine from the West Coast. By acquiring StrataSource, of Irvine, Calif., SevenSpace claimed it is gaining access to a vast library of management technologies.

A spokeswoman for SevenSpace told the Kitty that the company laid off about 10 percent of its staff just before the acquisition. "Thats still a lot of librarians to lose," groused the Grimalkin.