HP Procurve people buy into 802.11n

Acquires Colubris Networks

Hewlett-Packard's Procurve switching business plans to buy wireless access kit provider Colubris Networks for an undisclosed sum.

Waltham, Massachusetts-based Colubris specializes in networking gear based on the 802.11n wi-fi standard, a technology set Procurve currently lacks. Colubris has been selling enterprise WLAN fanciness since 2000.

HP said in a statement that the purchase will help the Procurve business expand in markets such as transportation, healthcare, manufacturing, service providers, and education — the spots where Colubris' partners and customers hang out. HP will integrate the firm's technology into Procurve merchandise.

“The acquisition of Colubris Networks will strengthen ProCurve’s hardware, management platform and services, significantly improving the overall performance capabilities of both wired and wireless networks," said the newly-appointed Procurve chief Marius Haas, a senior veep at HP.

Colubris is technically the first acquisition under the Procurve banner, although HP has made networking buys in the past. HP's networking arm makes up the world's second largest enterprise LAN house behind Cisco.

The acquisition is expected to close at the tail of HP's fiscal year (which ends October 31). And, of course, the deal is subject to the usual closing conditions and hurt feelings that can lead acquisitions astray. ®