Category: Network

Fortinet eyes MSS, cloud for regional growth

Increased demand for telcos to provide managed security services and the trend of carriers rolling out cloud services will be strategic to Fortinet’s growth in the region, said a company executive.

The network security vendor’s technology and business model position it well to reach out to its telco customers undergoing such transformation, said George Chang, Fortinet’s regional director for Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, in an interview Wednesday.

Appointed as the regional lead in May, Chang also serves as the regional director of carrier and service provider markets in the Asia-Pacific region, a portfolio he has held since December 2009. Prior to joining Fortinet, he was head of corporate development at OpenNet, the appointed network company or NetCo for Singapore’s next-generation National Broadband Network. Continue reading “Fortinet eyes MSS, cloud for regional growth”

Security vendor Fortinet sparkles in IPO

Shares of security vendor Fortinet surged 33 percent Wednesday as the company made its debut on the public markets.

Fortinet bumped its initial public offering (IPO) at the last minute, offering an extra 500,000 shares at a starting price of US$12.50 per share. That was above the $9-to-$11 range the company had been expected to open at. The stock (FTNT) ended the day on the Nasdaq at $16.62.

With 12.5 million shares sold, the Sunnyvale, California, company raised more than $156 million through the offering. Continue reading “Security vendor Fortinet sparkles in IPO”

Google bids $900M for Nortel patent portfolio

Google is bidding US$900 million in cash for thousands of patents that Nortel will auction off as part of its bankruptcy proceedings, the companies said Monday.

The proposed deal is what’s known as a “stalking horse” asset sale agreement, where the Google offer sets the minimum bar for other bidders for the portfolio of about 6,000 patents and patent applications, which cover a broad range of telecommunications, Internet search and social networking technologies. Continue reading “Google bids $900M for Nortel patent portfolio”

Fortinet, Trend Micro security patent skirmish heats up

Fortinet has filed a petition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to re-examine a security patent held by Trend Micro.

The Trend Micro patent in question, 5,623,600, covers virus detection and removal processes. The patent has led to a few skirmishes in the security industry, notably a battle between Trend Micro and Barracuda Networks. Fortinet says its petition identifies prior art that makes Trend Micro’s patent invalid. Continue reading “Fortinet, Trend Micro security patent skirmish heats up”

Apple-bears half the cost of Nortel patents

Apple is contributing more than half the total US$4.5 billion price tag for Nortel patents, with partners including Microsoft and Sony combined kicking in the rest.

Apple reported on Wednesday in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it will contribute approximately $2.6 billion toward the cost of the Nortel patent acquisition.

After filing for bankruptcy protection in 2009, Nortel has been selling off pieces of its business. It recently auctioned off its portfolio of about 6,000 patents. A consortium that includes Apple, Microsoft, Sony, Research In Motion, EMC and Ericsson had the winning $4.5 billion bid. As Apple noted in its SEC filing, the offer is still subject to regulatory approval. Continue reading “Apple-bears half the cost of Nortel patents”