Intrusion Detection Vendor Lands Additional $11 MillionIntrusion Detection Vendor Lands Additional $11 Million

Network security vendor Sourcefire Inc. said Wednesday it has landed $11 million in additional funding. The investment was led by New Enterprise Associates and also included Sierra Ventures, Inflection Point Ventures, and Core Capital Partners. The round follows $7.55 million in first-round funding the firm received in June 2002.

In December 2002, Sourcefire unveiled enhanced versions of its Intrusion Management System with its Network Sensor 3000 for speeds above gigabit and its Network Sensor 2100 for speeds up to 300 Mbps.

Sourcefire was founded in 2001 by the creators of Snort, one of the most widely used intrusion-detection systems. Snort remains one of the foundations to the company's intrusion-management software.

Pete Lindstrom, research director at Spire Security says Sourcefire's success indicates that the intrusion-detection market is still in its early stages. "We still have only touched the early adopters," Lindstrom says, "and plenty of growth remains for folks who can build a comprehensive solution that is smart and fast."