Cisco Boosts Network Security With Technology Buy

The equipment vendor is buying the Intellishield Alert Manager technology from Cybertrust for $14 million for use in its Self-Defending Network Strategy.

Networking equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc. said on Wednesday that it has agreed to purchase the Intellishield Alert Manager technology from Cybertrust Inc., security software and services vendor, for $14 million.

Cisco plans to acquire intellectual property, assets and customer contacts associated with Intellishield Alert Manager. The company will use the technology to enhance the Cisco MySDN security intelligence Web site, part of its Self-Defending Network Strategy, Cisco said in a statement.

Alert Manager was originally developed by TruSecure Corp. It is a Web-based security intelligence service that pulls together information on security threats and software vulnerabilities. Administrators can monitor threats to platforms and applications they use and filter out extraneous information. Alerts can be sent out using XML feeds and e-mail messages. Administrators can configure alerts about new threats, with analysis and suggestions for remediation.

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Cybertrust, of Herndon, Va., was formed by the merger of TruSecure and Betrusted Holdings Inc. in September 2004.

Executives at Cybertrust decided to sell off Intellishield so the company could focus on its core businesses: managed security services, the ICSA testing labs, and identity and access management, said Bryan Gernert, senior vice president and general manager of the Americas at Cybertrust.

Cybertrust is giving up intellectual property for the Alert Manager Web portal, workflow and alerting features. Security researchers in a Dublin, Ohio office will also transfer to Cisco, he said.

In addition to the proceeds from the sale, Cybertrust retains the right to use Intellishield content with its other customers. The company will also resell Alert Manager under the Cisco brand name, Gernert said. "For us, its a win-win," he said.

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Cisco will make Alert Manager part of its Customer Advocacy organization. Cisco partners that specialize in security will resell the service.

Cisco expects the acquisition of Intellishield to close in the companys fiscal second quarter, 2006, which ends Jan. 28.

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