Who’s on first? Companies vie to be “first FIPS 140-2 validated”

Published 6 April 2006

Companies providing communication gear to the government will have to have their gear FIPS 140-2 compliant; which company is ti first to have received FIPS 140-2 validation?

You be the judge. Vendors supplying communication gear to the federal government will have to have their products FIPS 140-2 validated. We have two companies now claiming to be the first wireless vendors with 802.11i-compliant technology to have received the coveted FIPS 140-2 certification.

” Rockville, Maryland-based 3e Technologies International (3eTI) says its 3eTI AirGuard 3e-525A-3 Wireless Access Point received NIST certificate number 640 on 22 March 2006.

” Two days ago Sunnyvale, California-based Aruba Networks said it had received the FIPS 140-2 validation, making it the first, adding: “This makes Aruba the first company able to provide secure wireless LANs (WLANs) to the U.S. Federal government using the IEEE 802.11i standard.”

Which company is right? On the fact of it, 3eTI appears to be the winner because its certification number is 640, while Aruba’s is 649. We note, however, the following clarification in Aruba’s press release: “While other vendors offer FIPS-validated point products or systems that are proprietary, Aruba is the first and only vendor to offer an integrated system for the Federal marketplace, including wireless intrusion detection and prevention, FIPS-validated Layer 2 and 3 encryption, and proven transition to FIPS 140-2 approved 802.11i.”

So both companies are right: 3eTI receives the first FIPS 140-2 validation for a point product — its wireless AP — and Aruba received its certification for an integrated system. A draw.