NMCI security software selected

Three software vendors' products will defend Navy Department networks under recently signed Navy Marine Corps Intranet subcontracts.

Symantec Corp. will supply 10 products for NMCI, including NetProwler, Norton AntiVirus, Raptor Firewall and Mail Gear, said Tim Bashara, NMCI program director for Raytheon Co.'s Secure Networks, St. Petersburg, Fla.

NMCI also will feature Alcatel virtual private network gateways and Cisco Systems Inc.'s Secure Intrusion Detection, as well as security intrusion and detection services software, Bashara said.

Raytheon is Electronic Data Systems Corp.'s subcontractor for NMCI information assurance. Bashara said the company went through a few small businesses to further subcontract for the information security products, helping EDS reach its small business subcontracting goals.

The largest of the information security software subcontracts is worth less than $10 million, which is part of Raytheon's $250 million piece of NMCI over five years, he said.

The Navy has used antivirus software by Symantec and Network Associates Inc. at no charge through a Defense Information Systems Agency site license. DISA paid less than 10 cents per user license for all Defense Department users. The downside to the cut-rate pricing is that sometimes armed services users didn't get as much technical support as they needed, according to vendor officials.

Because EDS owns the computers, servers and other equipment used under NMCI, EDS and Raytheon had to negotiate their own software licenses, Bashara said.

In addition to supplying the software, Raytheon is providing services ranging from network design to information assurance product support, Bashara said.