Tektronix to acquire Arbor Networks

The line between traditional passive network monitoring and more active, DPI-style management has been shifting for some time. Today, with Tektronix’ acquisition of deep packet inspection and security vendor Arbor Networks, the blurring is complete.

Tektronix announced the deal (terms undisclosed) this morning, saying it will maintain Arbor as a separate brand and operating company within its communications and enterprise group. That’s similar to what Tektronix has done other acquisitions such as Fluke Networks and Visual Network Systems.

Arbor is known for its eSeries platform, a DPI-based solution that carriers can use for broadband service management (such as helping to manage broadband wireless data usage), but more recently it has focused even more strongly on security opportunities in carrier and enterprise IP networks with its Peakflow product, which aims to counter distributed denial of service attacks at a carrier level. Arbor rolled out a “virtual” version of Peakflow this spring, particularly targeted at carrier and cloud customers. (See: Arbor helps telcos deliver threat-detection-as-a-service.)

It’s that distributed IP security play that seemingly appealed to Tektronix, which will use the security platform as a key plank in its efforts to move deeper into the mobile and cloud/data center markets moving forward.

"Arbor is a fantastic security company, and they have really deep knowledge of the mobile environment," said Rich McBee, senior vice president and general manager at Tektronix, said in an interview.  "We've been talking for some time about the 'IP-inization' of communications networks. Arbor will serve as our beachhead in entering the security segment."

The introduction of IP into the data networks is in particular a new step for mobile networks, which in the past have been "relatively proprietary networks, almost impenetrable" from a security point of view," McBee added.  As for Arbor's role in such networks, the vendor has made its mark of late "scrubbing and cleaning" the IP pipes for an array of carrier, managed service and cloud providers, noted Arbor CEO Colin Doherty -- including a long hinted-at deal with AT&T providing managed security services, finally announced late last month.

In recent discussions with both traditional network monitoring vendors as well as new, more active IP-based inspection vendors, it’s become clear that the two sectors have been circling similar opportunities – most notably real-time IP service management and the broader concept of “network intelligence.”

For instance, passive probe-based solutions offer a deep view into IP-based, service-centric networks and are increasingly positioning to have the data they collect used on a more real-time basis. For instance, Tektronix added performance intelligence tools to its network monitoring suite earlier this summer, signaling its interest in helping its customers assure the not just networks but the services that run over them. (See: Tektronix tool lets telco teams guarantee IP performance.)

DPI vendors, meanwhile, because they have such a strong view into both the IP data flow and the services that make up those packets, can offer carriers a unique view into network performance and traffic characteristics.

Tektronix said it expects its acquisition of Arbor to close in September.