HP buys stake in RiverSoft

HP is to acquire NMOS source code for an undisclosed sum as well as taking a minority equity stake in the company. RiverSoft's software allows networks to be monitored and updated automatically. The NMOS is designed to find out exactly what is on the network and pass information to any network management application.

RiverSoft is opening an office near the OpenView development centre in Colorado and HP will have an observer on the RiverSoft board of directors.

Cristina Mahon, general manager of research and development at HP OpenView, said: "As networks become more complex, so services management becomes more important."

She said of the companies' future plans: "We will integrate the APIs, share roadmaps and look to make complementary offerings in the future."

She added that the two companies will nevertheless remain competitive.

NMOS allows HP to develop OpenView's management functionality and sell the software to service providers, internet businesses and anyone with challenging network operations.

RiverSoft's management tools are fault isolation tools requiring minimum attention from network managers. They identify the root cause of network problems, and automatically recognise changes in network configurations.

RiverSoft's NMOS monitors network technologies, such as ATM, Frame Relay, Switched Ethernet, VLAN and VPNs, and configures the network automatically.