New Wireless, Security Features On Tap From HP's ProCurve Division

Hewlett-Packard’s ProCurve Networking unit plans this week to expand its wireless lineup while touting the security road map of its networking portfolio.

Available now, the new ProCurve Wireless Edge Services xl Module adds WLAN services to its Switch 5300xl series that support a new line of Radio Port 210, 220 and 230 centrally managed access points, while the new stand-alone dual-radio Wireless Access Point 530 includes quality-of-service, security and survivability features.

Pricing for the new module starts at $4,999. The new Radio Port products range from $349 to $499, while the 530 is $759.

The new wireless wares, part of HP’s Adaptive Edge architecture, include built-in support for its ProCurve Manager network management suite, which also integrates with the vendor’s wired portfolio, said Darla Sommerville, vice president and general manager for the Americas at HP’s ProCurve, Palo Alto, Calif.

“We’re providing a single pane of glass for the whole infrastructure,” Sommerville said. “The important thing here is that customers want wireless to be easier to implement.”Part of the attraction of HP’s lineup is the cutting edge appeal it carries with it, said Kevin Meany, director of technical services at Versatile, a partner in Marlboro, Mass.

“We try and stay on top of the cutting edge in technology because if you fall into a commodity mind-set, it’s harder to get the premium rates,” Meany said.

Part of that cutting edge technology includes ProCurve’s road map for its ProActive Defense network security, said Paul Congdon, CTO of ProCurve. On the road map are plans to incorporate built-in credentials into ProCurve networking devices. The end result will be akin to “plug-and-play security” that would only allow new, recognized devices to be added according to network policies, Congdon said.

Other security features will be rolled out over the next 18 months, Congdon said.

DAN NEEL contributed to this story.0