Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity
    • Networking

    Juniper Accuses Palo Alto Networks of Using Its Patents in Next-Gen Firewalls

    By
    Fahmida Y. Rashid
    -
    December 21, 2011
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Juniper Networks has slapped Palo Alto Networks with a lawsuit accusing the network security company of infringing six of its patents relating to firewall technology.

      In the lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Wilmington, Del., Dec. 19, Juniper said while the technology used in its next-generation firewalls was invented by the founders of Palo Alto Networks, the patents actually belonged to Juniper Networks. Palo Alto’s founders were originally Juniper executives who left to form their own company in 2005.

      Nir Zuk and Yuming Mao worked on the technology in question as executives at NetScreen before joining the Juniper team when the company was acquired for $4 billion in 2004, according to the complaint. They were also involved in the process of applying for some of the patents and are named as inventor and co-inventor on the patents, Juniper claimed in the complaint.

      “Juniper focuses on delivering breakthrough innovations for our customers. As a leading high-performance networking company, we will take every appropriate measure to defend and protect our innovation,” David Shane, vice president of corporate communications at Juniper Networks, told eWEEK in an emailed statement.

      Palo Alto Networks did not respond to eWEEK’s request for comment.

      NetScreen specialized in high-performance firewalls that competed directly with firewalls from Check Point Technologies. When Juniper acquired NetScreen, the company became the basis of Juniper’s network security division. Zuk was Juniper’s chief security technologist before leaving a little over a year later to form Palo Alto Networks.

      Palo Alto Networks launched its latest next-generation firewall just last month. The PA-200 firewall comes in a small form factor and allows enterprises to extend the security available at the headquarters to the smaller branch office. Palo Alto’s line of firewalls enables enterprises to identify and control applications, users and content, the company said.

      Juniper claims its firewall patents were infringed in the development of the next-generation firewall.

      Gartner recently named Palo Alto a leader in technology capabilities and performance in the next-generation firewall market. The market is expected to grow to 35 percent of total firewall spending by 2016, according to Gartner. Check Point, Cisco, Fortinet and McAfee are also considered major vendors of enterprise network firewalls, the research firm said in its report.

      “With a unified single-pass inspection engine, rather than a design of passing traffic to submodules, Palo Alto Networks has maintained performance with relatively few models,” Gartner said.

      Gartner named Juniper as a challenger in the market in its report, because the company appeared to be focusing “more on other areas of its business and did not make significant advances with its firewall products.” However, the analyst firm noted that Juniper is “often shortlisted and/or selected in carrier, service provider and data center deployments,” and the primary reason may be due to price and the high throughput available on its largest appliances.

      Based in Sunnyvale, Calif., Juniper is seeking a jury trial, unspecified damages and an order to stop misuse of its inventions, according to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware.

      Fahmida Y. Rashid

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×