TippingPoint was an American software company with roots back to 1999 focused on network security products, particularly intrusion prevention systems for networks. TippingPoint was acquired by 3Com

3Com

3Com was a pioneering digital electronics manufacturer best known for its computer network infrastructure products. The company was co-founded in 1979 by Robert Metcalfe, Howard Charney, Bruce Borden, and Greg Shaw...

 Corporation in 2005, and was run as an autonomous security-focused division from 2005 to 2010. On 12 April 2010, Hewlett-Packard

Hewlett-Packard

Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...

 completed a previously announced acquisition of 3Com. Today, TippingPoint is an entity within HP Networking

HP Networking

HP Networking is the networking division of Hewlett-Packard, within the HP Enterprise Business segment. HP's networking division was previously known as HP ProCurve...

, the networking division of HP.

History

• The company that later became TippingPoint was founded in 1999 under the name Shbang!. . Its business was to develop and sell internet appliances.
• In 1999, the company changed its name to Netpliance and released the I-Opener
  I-Opener
  The i-Opener was a low-cost internet appliance produced by Netpliance between the years 1999 and 2002. The hardware, cheaply available, became popular among collectors who modified the appliance to run as a normal PC. This made the device capable of running PC operating systems, such as Linux and...
  
  , a low-cost computer intended to be used for internet browsing. The product became an infamous collector's item in 2000 when a Las Vegas engineer, Ken Segler, discovered a method to install an alternative operating system on the device.
• In 2001, the company was fined by the Federal Trade Commission
  Federal Trade Commission
  The Federal Trade Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act...
  
   for $100,000 for sales and billing practices.
• In 2002, the company discontinued operations of its internet appliance business to focus on network security products under the new name TippingPoint. CEO Kent Savage was replaced by chairman of the board John McHale.
• As TippingPoint, the company invented the first Intrusion-prevention system
  Intrusion-prevention system
  Intrusion Prevention Systems , also known as Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems , are network security appliances that monitor network and/or system activities for malicious activity. The main functions of intrusion prevention systems are to identify malicious activity, log information...
  
  .
• CEO John McHale stepped down in 2004, however remained Chairman of the Board. The position was filled by Kip McClanahan, former CEO of BroadJump.
• In January 2005, TippingPoint was acquired by the network equipment company 3Com
  3Com
  3Com was a pioneering digital electronics manufacturer best known for its computer network infrastructure products. The company was co-founded in 1979 by Robert Metcalfe, Howard Charney, Bruce Borden, and Greg Shaw...
  
   for $442 million, operating as a division of 3Com led by James Hamilton (Tippingpoint President), later replaced by Alan Kessler.
• 3Com itself was acquired by computer manufacturer Hewlett-Packard
  Hewlett-Packard
  Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
  
  in 2010 for approximately $2.7 billion dollars.

External links

• SEC search on netpliance