Interlink Computer Sciences Inc, of Fremont, California, has acquired UK software development company Networkers Engineering Ltd and all its technology rights for around $2.6m in cash and shares. Interlink, which has always concentrated on linking up TCP/IP networks to IBM OS/390 and SNA networks, has been working with Networkers Engineering for a year on the development of its new OpenMAX line of systems management products, including an IMS transaction manager, LU 6.2 application interface and access control security software. The tools should cut the cost of running data center management costs when used to run TCP/IP networks, the company said. Last year, Interlink acquired the NetLock network security management tool from Hughes Electronics Corp, sold off the fading Harbor backup and restore product line to a management buyout, and lost its chief executive officer, Charles Jepson who was replaced by A J Berkeley. Jepson had masterminded the company’s tie-up with Cisco Systems Inc to jointly develop and market Cisco IOS, part of Cisco’s plan to get IBM mainframes connected up to the web (CI No 3,127). That effort appears to have got off to a slow start, largely due to competitive products from IBM Corp, and Interlink reported a first quarter net loss of $3.7m last October, on revenues down 28% to $6.3m. It expects to return to profitability by the third quarter.
