The deal, outlined in a memorandum of understanding that will likely be formalized on a project-by-project basis, has initially produced a prototype of a Nortel switch running Symantec’s intrusion prevention software.
It’s an engine running on one of their switches that carries a number of our signatures addressing vulnerabilities as well as exploits, said Richard Pearce, senior director of business development at Symantec.
This intrusion prevention device is just a prototype to show the companies are serious about their relationship, Pearce said. The deal could extend to many areas where offerings are complementary, in products and services.
Pearce said that the two companies have many synergies. Nortel has expertise in network hardware and the service provider market. Symantec has expertise in software security and the enterprise market.
The relationship could go some way to help Symantec continue to be competitive in a security market that is becoming more and more about embedding security intelligence into the network infrastructure, driven by firms like Cisco and Juniper.
Symantec is frequently criticized by rivals for having primarily a software-based approach which, they say, does not perform or scale as well as hardware-based competitive products.
While Pearce disputed those characterizations, he acknowledged that Symantec’s specialty is not hardware, and that the deal is synergistic for that reason. Over the long term, it could become important to Symantec.
