HP expands its networking reach with Colubris buy

HP made a move into the business Wi-Fi space dominated by Cisco with its purchase of wireless network provider Colubris Network.

The company will incorporate Colubris products into its ProCurve Networking division, which claimed it is the world's number two networking vendor behind Cisco.

HP ProCurve said that the acquisition would strengthen its hardware, management platform and services as well as enable it to extend its reach in markets such as hospitality, transportation, healthcare and education.

Colubris is particularly known for its expertise with 802.11n networking capability, a standard which HP claims will broaden its reach when it came to voice, data and multimedia applications.

"[It will be] significantly improving the overall performance capabilities of both wired and wireless networks," said Marius Haas, senior vice president and general manager for HP ProCurve.

In the first calendar quarter of 2008, HP ProCurve experienced growth that was nearly quadruple the rate of the networking industry, according to the market research firm Dell' Oro group.

According to data, worldwide port shipments grew by 28.4 per cent while the industry growth rate was at 7.82 per cent.