Network Assoc buys forensics company, Traxess

SANTA CLARA, Calif: Network Associates Inc. said it has acquired Traxess Inc., developer of DragNet, a technology that enables companies to save and replay everything employees do on the corporate network. If an employee is visiting websites and downloading pornography, Traxess technology allows the company to capture the content on a disk, said Sandra England, executive vice president of business development and strategic research at Santa Clara, California-based Network Associates.

Network Associates sells anti-virus and network management software. Financial terms of the deal were undisclosed. "It's an emerging area called forensics and surveillance," England said. "This will be a new wave of security product that will let corporations and governments really hone in on what's going on in the network." The acquisition of Lindon, Utah-based Traxess is Network Associate's first since 1998, England said.

Traxess' stream-to-disk software captures everything that happens on a network, including Internet phone calls, and stores it to high-speed storage devices. DragNet is in beta testing now and is expected to be available commercially early next year, according to England. DragNet complements Network Associates' Sniffer software for network analysis, England said.

DragNet was designed to help corporations make sure their Internet policies are followed, to help administrators locate the source of network breaches and trace intruders' tracks, as well as to help law enforcers track down computer criminals, she said.

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