TriNexus new jewel in Perle's crown
Network equipment vendor offers router technology to the channel
Network equipment vendor Perle Systems has bought TriNexus Communications and said it will push the company's router technology through the channel.
TriNexus manufactures virtual private networks (VPNs) and routers that connect local area networks with the internet and private intranets for voice, fax and data traffic in the enterprise space. The company will be integrated into Perle's research and development strategy.
TriNexus VPN products were previously shipped with Perle's IOLINK router range in an original equipment manufacturer agreement. However, Perle was eager to own the technology itself to allow further development.
The company is looking to offer a more complete IP infrastructure rather than bundling another company's technology with its networking products, explained Peter Graham, vice president of sales and marketing at Perle.
"We have the growth of the remote connectivity market covered with our Raz product and we want to move into VPNs with the ownership of TriNexus technology," he said.
Graham added that Perle will continue to use its channel. "All of our current resellers will have access to new products and we are expanding our channel base where appropriate if it does not conflict with existing partners," he explained.
Danny Rogers, business development director at networking distributor Logitek, said the extension of the Perle portfolio will add value for its resellers. "This is a complementary technology and supports what Perle is doing in Europe because a VPN range will link into its remote access products," he said.
Infonetics Research predicted that site-to-site VPNs will be adopted by over 40 per cent of UK companies by 2005. Peter Judge, directing analyst at Infonetics, said VPNs have often been sold purely as a cost-effective way of offering remote access, but this may change as broadband becomes more commonly available.
Perle has also reported significant growth in sales of its remote-access products after Intel's decision to drop its Shiva product line. "We have seen a 30 per cent increase in the number of resellers on our books as a direct result of our 833 product that replaced Shiva," said Graham.