Network equipment provider caters to a growing need In a move to meet increasing need for robust network security, Juniper Networks plans to acquire NetScreen Technologies in an all-stock deal worth approximately $4 billion.If its stockholders approve the deal, Juniper will add NetScreen’s network security products, including firewalls and VPN technology, to its portfolio of high-end networking gear.Netscreen’s traditional strength in the large enterprise market will mesh well with Juniper’s historical focus on Internet service providers, ILECs (incumbent local exchange carriers), and the defense industry, said Juniper CEO Scott Kriens in a conference call last week. At the same time, Kriens dismissed the focus on such traditional market distinctions. The growth of networked devices from portable digital assistants to home entertainment systems has blurred the line between public and private networks, Kriens said.Together, Juniper and NetScreen’s technologies will combine into suites of products that mix core IP routing with security and policy management features, extending the reach of security products from the network perimeter to the “heart of the network,” Kriens said.Kriens contrasted that with the approach taken by leading competitors such as Cisco Systems, which he said rely on plug-in components, or “blades,” to add security features to networking hardware. A Cisco spokesman declined to comment. Although many analysts agreed that the purchase put pressure on Cisco, John Pescatore, a Gartner analyst, doubts that Juniper’s acquisition will threaten Cisco’s dominance among enterprise buyers.Pescatore asserted that rather than use NetScreen to penetrate the enterprise market, Juniper should follow the example Cisco set when it purchased Linksys, allowing NetScreen to continue operating independently while working to integrate security features with Juniper’s high-end networking equipment for the service provider market. SecurityTechnology IndustrySoftware DevelopmentSmall and Medium Business