Packet™ Magazine Archives, Second Quarter 1998 Cisco to Acquire WheelGroup Corp. to Strengthen Security Offering Cisco recently announced an agreement to acquire privately held WheelGroup Corporation (San Antonio, Texas), a leader in developing network security technologies and products. The acquisition will extend Cisco's solution set for end-to-end network security and help create a more secure environment for Cisco's enterprise customers. WheelGroup's range of solutions includes an enterprise-scale intrusion detection and response system that can detect unauthorized network activity in real time and dynamically enable Cisco devices to defend themselves from further attacks. In addition, an advanced vulnerability scanner from WheelGroup provides a scalable vulnerability database and reporting capabilities that enable organizations to quickly and efficiently improve their security postures. Cisco's enterprise security initiative addresses three areas required for a comprehensive solution: verifying users' identities, protecting network and data integrity, and providing an active audit to make sure security policies are being implemented correctly. WheelGroup's "active-audit" product line enables customers to detect network anomalies, misuse, and attacks, and ensures that the security policy is consistent and operating correctly. The acquisition broadens Cisco's commitment to a full range of security products that address customer requirements for a consistent, enterprise-wide security policy. Table of Contents Posted: Fri Jul 10 11:13:00 PDT 1998 Copyright © 1998 Cisco Systems, Inc.