Motorola buys WLAN intrusion prevention vendor AirDefense

Motorola is acquiring privately held AirDefense, a wireless intrusion prevention vendor, to strengthen security for its wireless LAN product line. The deal, expected to be finalized in a few months, gives Motorola’s enterprise division a well-regarded wireless intrusion prevention system (IPS), which uses radio sensors and software that detect, classify, locate, and block connections between enterprise WLAN access points and clients and unauthorized wireless devices. AirDefense will continue to be based in Alpharetta, Georgia but organizationally will be part of Motorola’s Enterprise Mobility Division. NW blogger Craig Mathias offers his assessment of the deal online. AirDefense announced the latest upgrade for its AirDefense Enterprise wireless IPS in March, adding support for radio frequency spectrum analysis, new appliance models, and a redesigned management interface. The company competes with such companies as AirMagnet and Airtight (the trio is sometimes jokingly dubbed the “Air Brothers”). Compare WLAN management products with our online Buyer’s Guide. The announcement was made at the close of the today’s New York Stock Market at 4 pm ET. Financial details of the purchase were not disclosed. Before the bell, Motorola’s stock, with a slough of other tech stocks, was driven down by 17 cents, closing at $7.01, down from a 52-week high of $19.34 last October. The acquisition of Atlanta-based AirDefense is the latest in the wireless and mobile space as Motorola moves to split off its troubled cell phone business. Motorola formed the core of its enterprise mobility division with its $3.9 billion acquisition in 2006 of Symbol Technologies. The move is part of a surge of acquisition action in the WLAN industry overall. Aruba acquired a WLAN network management company, AirWave Wireless, at the start of the year. Recently, Belden announced it would acquire WLAN vendor Trapeze Networks. Last year, Cisco acquired Cognio, for its Spectrum Expert RF analyzer.