Intel invests in network security appliance maker

Intel has taken a $3.1 million strategic investment in Lockdown Networks, which plans to integrate the chipmaker's Active Management Technology into its security appliances. AMT is being developed for the next-generation Pentium chipset, which is designed to provide security control below the operating system. AMT will be integrated into the Lockdown Enforcer appliance version 4.2, which is scheduled for release as early as spring, Lockdown said Friday.

Lockdown's appliance, a combination of software and hardware, checks devices when the attempt to connect to a network. It validates users, and makes sure devices are virus-free and have security updates. The AMT technology will help do this using a network agent that runs on the device itself, the company said. The technology will eventually be expanded beyond Enforcer 4.2 to other products, it said.