TippingPoint
| Company type | Subsidiary (from 2005) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Network security, computer hardware and software |
| Predecessor | Shbang!, Netpliance |
| Founded | January 1999 in Texas, United States |
| Founder | John F. McHale, Kent A. Savage, Kenneth A. Kalinoski |
| Defunct | 2015 |
| Fate | Acquired by Trend Micro |
| Successor | Trend Micro TippingPoint |
| Headquarters | Austin , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Kent A. Savage (initial CEO), John F. McHale (chairman), Kip McClanahan (CEO from 2004), James Hamilton (president under 3Com), Alan Kessler (president under 3Com) |
| Products | Intrusion Prevention Systems (TippingPoint NGIPS), firewalls |
| Owner | Trend Micro (since 2015) |
| Parent | 3Com (2005–2010), Hewlett-Packard (2010–2015), Trend Micro (2015–) |
TippingPoint Technologies was a U.S.-based firm specializing in computer hardware and software, operating from 1999 until 2015. The company focused primarily on network security solutions, with an emphasis on intrusion prevention systems. In 2015, it became part of Trend Micro through acquisition.
History
The company was established in January 1999 in Texas under the original name Shbang!, founded by John F. McHale, Kent A. Savage (who served as the initial CEO), and Kenneth A. Kalinoski. Its early business centered on the creation and marketing of Internet appliances.
By May 1999, the firm adopted the name Netpliance and introduced the i-Opener, an affordable device designed for web browsing that was sold below cost; its revenue model relied on subscription services. When users discovered ways to circumvent these fees, Netpliance responded by enforcing termination penalties. In 2001, the company faced a $100,000 penalty from the Federal Trade Commission due to deceptive advertising and unfair billing practices.
In 2002, Netpliance discontinued its internet appliance offerings and rebranded as TippingPoint. Leadership changes included replacing CEO Savage with chairman McHale, who relinquished the CEO role in 2004 but continued as chairman; Kip McClanahan then assumed the CEO position.
TippingPoint was acquired in January 2005 by 3Com, a network equipment manufacturer, for $442 million and operated as a subsidiary under presidents James Hamilton and subsequently Alan Kessler. Later, in April 2010, Hewlett-Packard purchased 3Com for approximately $2.7 billion.
On October 21, 2015, Trend Micro acquired TippingPoint from HP for around $300 million.
Technology
The TippingPoint NGIPS is an Intrusion Prevention System designed to protect networks from IT security threats. It combines application-level security features with user identification and message inspection capabilities to defend applications, networks, and data against various risks.
In September 2013, HP entered the next-generation firewall sector by releasing a series of new TippingPoint firewall products. These devices enhance the existing IPS appliances by incorporating traditional stateful packet filtering alongside sophisticated application control functions.
References
- Notes
External links
- Articles with short description
- American companies established in 1999
- American companies disestablished in 2015
- Companies based in Austin, Texas
- Database security
- Hewlett-Packard acquisitions
- Static program analysis tools
- Defunct computer companies based in California
- Defunct software companies of the United States
- Software companies established in 1999
- Software companies disestablished in 2015
- 2015 mergers and acquisitions
- Defunct computer companies of the United States
- Defunct computer hardware companies