Cisco Takes Step Up In Security

The move, unveiled late last month, brings Cisco new security event management capability--the ability to manage the security aspects of an enterprise network, detect security events and consolidate them so they can be presented to managers in an understandable form.

It also gives San Jose, Calif.-based Cisco the technology to close off portions of a network undergoing an attack--technology sorely lacking to this point in Cisco's development of its Network Admission Control.

"Protego's technology will enhance the management, monitoring and mitigation capabilities of Cisco's portfolio of security products," said Richard Palmer, vice president in Cisco's Security Technology Group. "The Protego acquisition reinforces Cisco's commitment to help customers build networks that can identify, respond and adapt to security threats."

Palmer noted that up until now, the process of managing Cisco's security features depended on products from third parties. In some cases, this has required solution providers to sell customers a bouquet of point solutions to achieve desired functionalities.

With Protego, however, Cisco can now offer security event management as part of its product suite. Thomas Adams, executive vice president of strategy and partnerships at Calence, a solution provider in Tempe, Ariz., said he thinks the acquisition will enable his company to make even bigger profits off Cisco technologies.

"Calence sees this as a great marriage," Adams said. "The acquisition of Protego will augment Cisco's security capabilities, and we look forward to continuing to support our clients with world-class security solutions from Cisco."

Robert Whiteley, an analyst at Forrester Research, said the acquisition should enable Cisco solution providers to offer even more protection of corporate LANs.