Novell has announced the acquisition of endpoint
security supplier, Senforce Technologies, in a deal that will
integrate Senforce into an endpoint security suite.
 | | | | | This is really a move for
[Novell] to become one of the players that can compete against
Altiris and others.
Natalie Lambert
senior analyst at Forrester
Research. |
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Terms of the deal were not released. Novell and Senforce
launched ZENworks Endpoint Security Management, during a recent
partnership development. The endpoint software package was designed
for corporate networks.
Senforce was one of the early vendors developing network access
control (NAC) technologies. Senforce, and a host of other smaller
suppliers, such as Elemental Security , and Lockdown Networks, have
been competing with Microsoft, Juniper Networks, McAfee and Cisco
Systems to sell NAC systems. Each vendor configures NAC
differently.
In recent years it has extended to securing the endpoint with
removable device and wireless control features, application
control, encryption, and personal firewalls.
Interest in deploying NAC is ultimately
prompting vendors to make acquisitions to develop an endpoint
security strategy, said
Natalie Lambert,
a senior analyst for Forrester Research. Ultimately, NAC will
fold into client management products to be the access control
solution dictated around policies that in the client management
suite, Lambert said.
"A lot of endpoint security functionality and tools are being
handled by the operations group," Lambert said. "Customers are
demanding this because they now have one set of staffers managing
this area and they want single set of tools to be able to best
manage their environments."
Prior to the acquisition, Novell shared a close partnership with
Securewave for application device control.
Securewave was acquired by Patchlink in
June.
A lot of the major vendors have made acquisitions to bolster
device security and data leakage protection when devices enter a
corporate network. Symantec jumped in early, acquiring a number of
multiple point solutions including Sygate in 2005. McAfee acquired
Onigma and several other point solutions in 2006.
"This is really a move for [Novell] to become one of the players
that can compete against Altiris and others," Lambert said. "This
is something they should have done early and hopefully they've done
early enough to be a competitor."
Altiris is a provider of IT service-oriented management software
with an emphasis on network security management.
Senforce's ZENworks Endpoint Security Management software
conducts automated encryption policy enforcement at the desktop,
regardless of whether a user is on or off-line. The software also
includes tools for removable device security, personal firewalls,
wireless security and application control to secure the
network.
"Combining Senforce's technology with Novell's existing systems
and resource management solutions creates a new level of control
and protection for our customers, Joe Wagner, senior vice president
and general manager at Novell said in a statement.