Cisco veteran launches net management start-up

Pari Networks promises its technology can address network device-configuration management and regulatory compliance with one platform. (Learn more  about Network Configuration Management products at our Network Configuration Management Buyer's Guide.)

The privately held, Milpitas, Calif., company, which was founded in April 2005 by former Cisco engineers and marketers participates in Cisco's Technology Developer Program. CEO Kishore Kumar says he focused on security when he worked in the high-end software group at Cisco, and found the time it took for Cisco's tools to support configuration updates was too long to secure network devices adequately from potential threats.

"It could take up to six months for our own management tools to catch up with the changes. If there is a security advisory, network change and configuration tools need to support new devices and operating system versions faster," Kumar says.

Pari's products will help customers stay on top of updates across devices, Kumar says, but the tools also are designed to ease compliance audits. For instance, the company developed its Paritra appliances to include policy, compliance and audit assessment mitigation features. The devices include customizable templates for regulatory-compliance regulations, such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and Payment Card Industry standards.

Pari’s appliances are rack mountable and connect to the network. The product includes agent software that can be installed on devices to collect and report on data. Pari  also offers a network assessment tool that provides configuration snapshots for compliance and other audits.

Pari competes with such companies such as AlterPoint, Intelliden and Voyence, which EMC recently acquired. Kumar says Pari will differentiate itself from competitors by updating its products more quickly and offering remediation to configuration policy violations.

"Not only do we do network assessments, we also do remediation. If our product detects a specific problem or violation, it will tell network and security managers, this is the configuration and this is the violation," Kumar says. The company has plans to deliver its products via managed security service providers.

Pricing for Paritra appliances starts at $20,000 to $25,000, and is based on the number of devices managed. The product could cost $80,000 for a 1,000-device deployment, for example.