Sourcefire Shapes Up for IPO

Security startup Sourcefire has picked up $20 million in funding to boost reserves and lay the foundations for a possible IPO later this year. (See Sourcefire Raises $20M.)

Sourcefire's intrusion prevention system (IPS) hardware and software offerings are based around an open-source technology called Snort developed back in 1998 by Martin Roesch, Sourcefire's found.

Widely deployed in some key U.S. defense and intelligence deployments, Snort threw Sourcefire into the national media spotlight earlier this year, when Check Point tried to acquire the startup for $225 million.

With the howls of protest from the controversial U.A.E. ports deal still ringing around Washington, the same U.S government review board turned its attention to the Sourcefire/Check Point deal, which was eventually called off. (See US Checks Check Point, Check Point Snaps Up Sourcefire, Check Point Buys Sourcefire, and Check Point, Sourcefire Team.)

Get all of the details at Dark Reading.James Rogers, Senior Editor, Byte and Switch. Special to Dark Reading