Global sells software that supports Space Communications Protocol Standards to the military, public safety organizations
WAN optimization vendor Riverbed Technology is moving more deeply into optimizing satellite links with the purchase of one of its business partners, Global Protocols, which licenses software to boost performance over satellite networks.
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Riverbed already partnered with Global Protocols to support its SkipWare platform on virtual servers within Riverbed’s Steelhead WAN optimization appliances. (See also: “Riverbed CEO talks WAN optimization”.)
SkipWare is a popular implementation of Space Communications Protocol Standards (SCPS), a set of satellite communications standards designed to increase efficiency and reliability of data transfers via satellite and thereby reduce costs. SCPS is a joint effort of the Department of Defense, the National Security Agency (NSA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Other vendors that OEM SkipWare include Cisco, DataPath (which sells ruggedized appliances to the U.S. military) and DTECH Labs, which sells gear to first-responder organizations.
SkipWare’s customer list could help Riverbed get a foot in the door among military and governmental agencies. “The acquisition will allow Riverbed to build on its success in providing DoD and other organizations with IT performance solutions,” the company says in a press release.
Riverbed has partnered with Global Protocols since 2008, and did not release how much it paid for the company.
Riverbed Steelhead appliances work in pairs to optimize point-to-point inter-site connections, as well as with software clients on individual computers to optimize remote-access connections. It competes with the likes of Blue Coat, Cisco, F5, Silver Peak and others.
