Network Associates Buys IntruVert Networks

The deal is expected to close in 45 days, pending regulatory and IntruVert stockholder approval.

IntruVert's IntruShield sensor appliances combine signature, anomaly and denial-of-service detection techniques. Founded in 2000, the company is based in San Jose, Calif.

The IntruVert technology will be incorporated into Network Associates' Sniffer line of network analyzers and its McAfee antivirus product line next year, a company spokeswoman said. Until then, IntruVert's products will be sold as stand-alone items.

"The IntruVert solution is perfectly aligned with our vision of stopping any attack that gets inside the firewall," said Sandra England, executive vice president of corporate development and strategic research at Network Associates, in a prepared statement. "We will now have the capability of reliably blocking network attacks at multi-gigabit speeds."

The IntruVert deal is not the first foray into intrusion-detection technology for Network Associates, based here. Last year, the company forged a partnership with Internet Security Systems and has unveiled plans to integrate that company's intrusion-detection technology into a new high-speed version of the Sniffer network analyzer.

The product, dubbed Impermia, is based on the Sniffer Distributed S6000 platform and is slated to ship in the second quarter.

In a report issued Wednesday, Merrill Lynch described IntruVert as "one of the most prominent of the recent class of appliance-based intrusion-prevention startups." But the analyst firm also said the $100 million that Network Associates is paying "appears steep," and the deal raises questions about how it will affect Impermia's plan.

While customers are leaning toward appliances, Merrill Lynch analysts said they are still concerned that the intrusion-detection market "remains confused as skeptical buyers evaluate the plethora of public and private vendors with competing product visions."

The IntruVert purchase is the second acquisition this year for Network Associates, which previously bought antispam provider DeerSoft for an undisclosed amount.