Phoenix Contact and Innominate agree to a technology partnership
Security solutions for industrial Ethernet networks from a single source
Blomberg/Berlin, 3 May 2007 - At this year's Hannover Messe, Phoenix Contact, the market leader for electronic interface and industrial automation technology, and Innominate Security Technologies AG, the Berlin-based security specialist, reached an agreement on a technology partnership.
As the leading supplier of electronic and electromechanical components and systems – particularly in the area of industrial control systems – Phoenix Contact brings its expertise in the field of automation technology to the long-term partnership with Innominate, the industrial security specialist.
Innominate Security Technologies AG is the leading manufacturer of embedded security appliances for use in production environments. Innominate's strategic business fields lie in the area of security solutions for industrial networks and secure remote maintenance via the Internet.
Advantages for companies involved in the industrial automation markets
Phoenix Contact will start the distribution of selected Innominate products effective immediately, with the goal of providing industrial users with a secure communication solution. Roland Bent, Managing Director for Marketing and Development at Phoenix Contact, outlines the agreement reached by the two companies: "With Automationworx, our modular and scalable communication platform, we offer our customers a secure, one-stop communication solution. Among other features, the solution encompasses Phoenix Contact's new industrial Gigabit Ethernet switches and Innominate's mGuard security appliances." Bent adds: "The joint marketing of the mGuard industrial security products represents the consistent continuation of our Ethernet strategy, introduced in 1999. More and more, production networks are becoming the integral component of a company-wide network. For this reason, security solutions are increasingly being demanded to enable secure access to machines and plants, as well as Ethernet-based safety solutions."
Joachim Fietz, Innominate CEO, comments: "We are pleased to have won Phoenix Contact, a global leader in the area of automation technology, as a technology-partner. Under this partnership, international industrial enterprises will have access to Innominate's leading security technology via Phoenix Contact’s global sales and service organisation network." Fietz continues: "We are certain that the collaboration between our companies will result in a number of trend-setting security solutions for industrial applications."
A substantial component of the agreement is the co-operation of both partners in the area of embedded security for industrial applications on the basis of the Innominate mGuard product portfolio. In this field, a closely co-ordinated collaboration will soon get underway between Phoenix Contact and Innominate.
About PHOENIX CONTACT GmbH & CO. KG
Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG is a global market leader in electronic connection, electronic interface and industrial automation technology. Founded in the early 1920s in Essen, the company currently employs some 8400 people worldwide, of which more than 3600 work at the company headquarters in Blomberg. The product range covers modern components and system solutions for electrotechnology and electronics. In addition to a multifaceted range of terminal blocks and special-purpose terminals, printed circuit terminal blocks and connectors, as well as interface and surge voltage protection devices, the company's product range includes hard/software systems for the setup of trend-setting automation solutions.
Innominate Security Technologies AG is the market and technology leader for embedded security used in industrial applications. The German security specialist has two strategic business focuses: "Industrial Ethernet Security" and "Secure Remote Maintenance" for machines and industrial plants. With its mGuard product family, supplemented by a device management software, Innominate offers hardware firewall, VPN and virus protection functions. mGuard solutions are sold and distributed via OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) partners and a network of national and international partners.
