Volume II, Issue 4 | April, 2016
Industry News
Brocade Communications Systems agrees to buy Ruckus Wireless for approximately $1.2 billion
Brocade Communications Systems Inc. agreed to buy Ruckus Wireless for about $1.2 billion, the latest in a series of moves by network-equipment companies to expand their Wi-Fi offerings. The deal, which values Ruckus at $14.43 a share, caused that company’s stock to jump 32% to $13.20 a share. Brocade’s stock fell 14% to $9.15. Brocade, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., was originally known for networking hardware used in data storage applications. But the company has branched into other networking segments, including routers and switches sold in competition with the likes of Cisco Systems Inc. Ruckus, also based in Sunnyvale, specializes in Wi-Fi gear used by companies and public venues. Its chief executive, Selina Lo, is one of a small number of female CEOs of publicly held tech companies. The growing popularity of Wi-Fi has triggered other deals in the sector. Cisco, for example, in 2012 agreed to buy Meraki Inc. for $1.2 billion. Hewlett-Packard Co. in March 2015 announced a deal to buy Aruba Networks Inc. for about $3 billion; that business is now part of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. since the H-P breakup. The companies expect the transaction to close in Brocade’s third fiscal quarter of 2016. Brocade will pay about $1.5 billion in total, before deducting cash and investments held by Ruckus. That company’s stockholders will receive $6.45 in cash and 0.75 shares of Brocade for each share. The transaction price may fluctuate until close, the companies said. No major change to operations in Ruckus is expected prior to the close.
CensorNet acquires SMS Passcode to expand security offering
CensorNet, the complete cloud security company, announced recently that it has acquired Danish based multi-factor authentication vendor SMS PASSCODE in a closed deal. CensorNet will integrate SMS PASSCODE’s adaptive multi-factor authentication technology into its cloud-based Unified Security Solution, which brings together email and web security with Cloud Application Control (CAC). The acquisition means that CensorNet will now boast a truly global footprint, with over 4,000 customers across 40 countries; and will be protecting over one million users from its offices throughout EMEA and the US. Commenting on the acquisition, Ed Macnair, CEO of CensorNet says: “We are the first security vendor in the world to offer CAC integrated with web security. Building on our extensive technology experience and listening to our customers, we recognized that the growth of cloud applications use, together with an increasingly mobile workforce using multiple devices, are putting CIOs under immense pressure to simultaneously encourage productivity and protect sensitive data. Our vision is to provide organizations with a single pane of glass that gives them visibility and control of web, cloud applications and email. With weak or stolen passwords still being the major source of network breaches integrating SMS PASSCODE’s authentication capability to our solution was a no brainer.”
Tegile expands product line to include all-flash storage array, and entry level all-flash storage
All-flash storage array vendor Tegile Systems recently expanded its product line card with an array containing both a performance-focused flash tier and a lower-cost, capacity-focused flash tier. The Newark, Calif.-based company also looked to expand its target market with the introduction of a new version of its entry-level model that cuts the base configuration to 5 terabytes. The newest high-end version of Tegile’s IntelliFlash HD all-flash array can deliver up to 5 million IOPS and 10 petabytes of capacity in a single rack, and at its maximum configuration costs as low as 50 cents per gigabyte after deduplication and compression, said Rob Commins, vice president of marketing for the company. Tegile has also received a lot of feedback from customers looking for a new lower entry into the all-flash storage array market than the company’s previous model, which started at 10 TBs of capacity, Commins said. As a result, the Tegile line now starts with a model featuring 5 TBs of performance flash, he said.
I Didn’t Know You Did That
Get a Firewall Security Review from the team at Verus
You’re probably well aware of the fact that Verus, as a WatchGuardOne Platinum Partner, is an expert at configuring and deploying WatchGuard firewalls. But did you know we are also a valuable resource for you to have a Firewall Security Review done on a regular basis?
A Firewall Security Review will help you determine if you are using your firewall effectively or if you’re missing out on some components that could help you keep your network more secure.
The review will start with your firewall policy rules. The policy rules are about much more than simply filtering which websites your employees and guests are able to visit from your network. For one, Verus can help those using the Unified Threat Management (UTM) solutions to apply our best practice techniques to your UTM settings. UTM is an emerging trend in the network security market. UTM appliances have evolved from traditional firewall/VPN products into a solution with many additional capabilities, including spam blocking, gateway antivirus, spyware prevention, intrusion prevention, and URL filtering.
Additionally, those not on the UTM suite can find out the benefits and advantages to adding it.
Verus has the level of expertise to help you avoid the mistakes and reap the full advantages of your firewall. To schedule your review, or to add UTM or other features to your firewall, please contact Verus today at 763-354-2200, or via email at sales@veruscorp.com.
News ‘N Notes
Verus, Tegile and VEEAM co-sponsor successful IT Lunch and Learn on Storage and Backup
Verus, Tegile and VEEAM co-sponsored an IT Lunch and Learn on Storage and Backup at Crave Restaurant in Downtown Minneapolis last month.
The event featured Vince Vaughan of VEEAM and Matt O’Reilly of Tegile as the primary speakers, with an introduction by Kevin Willette of Verus.
Attendees learned about the deduplication and compression technologies used by Tegile, as well as how the VEEAM solution utilizes and works in conjunction with Tegile.
For more information on VEEAM and Tegile, contact Verus at sales@veruscorp.com or by phone at 763.354.2200 today!
Register for April 26 webinar on multi-factor authentication with SMS Passcode and Verus
Join us for a webinar on IT security, where we hope we will inspire you to protect your remote access with more than just a password.
The webinar will show you:
• Why a password is no longer enough to secure access to corporate networks and applications
• Why hardware tokens or basic two-factor authentication solutions are no longer enough to keep you safe
• The power of Adaptive Multi-factor Authentication
• How SMS PASSCODE seamlessly integrates to your VPN
Date & Time:
Tuesday, April 26th
1 pm CST
If you have any questions, please email events@veruscorp.com.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Start grilling season off right with Filet Mignon with Bacon Cream Sauce
Start to finish: 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
4 (4 ounce) beef tenderloin filets
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 slices bacon, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
4 shallots, diced
1/4 cup half-and-half cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grate.
Brush the filets with olive oil, and cook on the preheated grill to desired doneness (about 4 minutes per side for medium rare). An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 130 degrees F (54 degrees C). Set the steaks aside on a platter tented with aluminum foil to rest.
While the steaks are resting, prepare the sauce: cook and stir the chopped bacon in a small saucepan over medium heat until the bacon pieces are crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the butter and shallots, and cook and stir until the shallots are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes more. Stir in the half-and-half, bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve over the steaks.
