Secure Computing Lays Out Gauntlet Plans

Secure has completed the acquisition of Network Associates' Gauntlet firewall and VPN business. The purchase price was not disclosed.

Tim McGurran, president and COO of Secure, said the San Jose-based company hasn't finalized product strategy plans, but its goal is to have a single application-layer firewall offering.

"We plan to go to one code base, and the code base would contain the significant features and functions that Gauntlet and Sidewinder customers know and love," he said.

He expects the company's new firewall offering will be based on the Sidewinder architecture and developed by the end of the year.

Because both Gauntlet and Sidewinder are application-layer firewalls, the Gauntlet acquisition, which was unveiled earlier this month, puzzled some solution providers

McGurran said Secure's main goal with the acquisition was to expand its market reach by obtaining the 4,000 Gauntlet customers. Secure will offer its other products, including authentication and access control solutions, to those customers, he said.

The deal with Network Associates included the customer-support contracts but did not include acquisition of the 100 Gauntlet VARs. Secure is working to sign up those solution providers, McGurran said.

Mark Schulstad, director of sales and marketing at Conjungi Networks, said the Seattle-based company met with Secure representatives this week and was impressed. Conjungi sold Gauntlet firewalls.

"All factors considered, this looks like a positive move for both us and, ultimately, our customers," Schulstad said.

Secure appears "to be a company paying more than lip service to being devoted to the channel," he said. Also, Conjungi is interested in Secure's other technologies such as token-based authentication, he said.

Santa Clara, Calif.-based Network Associates put the Gauntlet line up for sale last October when it dissolved its PGP Security division as part of a corporate cost-cutting initiative.