Fortress Buys WLAN Security Technology From Legra

LONDON — Wireless networks specialist Fortress Technologies has acquired some technology and assets of failed LAN switch developer Legra Systems Inc. for an undisclosed sum.

Legra (Tampa, Fla.) ceased operations last month and some of its other assets have also been sold, including some intellectual property, to routing software firm NextHop Technologies.

Legra's security processing architecture and wireless switch technology will be integrated with Fortress' secure policy-based products, creating what the company said is "a more scalable and sophisticated security switch that will support enterprise policy management as wireless becomes more central to the core of the network."

Legra was among the first companies to develop a chip set to enable encryption and decryption on four traffic streams simultaneously. It was also early to combine priority switching and priority cryptography into a single system.

As part of the deal, some senior technical staff from Legra have joined Fortress to help with technology integration. Fortress did not say how many of the Legra staff will be retained.The first AirFortress product incorporating Legra's switching technology will be available early next year. The security switch will include platforms ranging from site-optimized devices for remote branch offices to larger systems capable of securing entire corporate campus networks and high-speed point-to-point links.

"This strategic acquisition positions Fortress perfectly to support growing enterprise network environments. This growth strategy ensures that the value our products provide for security and flexibility scales with demand for wireless application services and bandwidth requirements," said Shawn Hughes, CEO of Fortress Technologies, in a statement.