NetShapers inks a strategic partnership with Sourcefire, Inc.—the creators of Snort® Intrusion Detection and Prevention

September 25^th, 2005

Baton Rouge, LA. NetShapers, Inc. announced today that a Partnership Agreement was signed with Columbia, MD based Sourcefire, Inc. This agreement will enable NetShapers to deliver next-generation, enterprise-grade Intrusion Detection/Prevention and Security Event Management solutions to its client base.

“We are extremely excited to form this partnership with Sourcefire”, said Piotr Sygula, NetShapers CEO. “We have been deploying Snort-based solutions for 5+ years, we have seen the technology mature and strengthen over time. However, even with our skills at tuning IDS systems, the end result was tough to manage on an enterprise level. Having spent considerable time analyzing Sourcefire’s innovative RNA (Real-time Network Awareness) modules and how they interact with the Intrusion Sensors to provide a fully integrated SEM suite, I can honestly say that there is nothing comparable on the market. We believe our in-house skill-sets involving Intrusion Detection system are a perfect complement to the Sourcefire 3D offering and will allow us to become a premier deployment partner for Sourcefire.”, Sygula said.

Sourcefire offers lines of Intrusion Detection appliances, RNA appliances, and Defense Center appliances. The Defense Center, which serves as the SEM piece of the puzzle, correlates real-time alerts with information gathered through passive scanning by RNA appliances. The end result is the ability to truly prioritize security incidents based not only on the attack itself, but also on information on whether the target of the attack exists, and whether it is vulnerable to said attack. This approach greatly reduces the resources necessary to manage the system by minimizing false positives unlike any other methodology in the SEM marketspace.

More information on Sourcefire’s Technology and Product lines may be accessed at www.sourcefire.com