Matt Kovar, program manager for E-networks and broadband access at Yankee Group, says it's about time intrusion detection became commercially available for Linux. "Linux systems comprise more than 30% of all Web servers in use today," he says. "Any company that employs Linux, especially major Web-site operators, will find management of local and remote systems, the abil-ity to keep up with high network loads, and the enterprise scalability of BlackIce Agent for Linux a compelling value proposition."

Greg Gilliom, Network Ice's CEO, says BlackIce will make it easier for businesses to move to the Linux platform. "Now they have a truly robust detection system for Linux," he says.

But BlackIce isn't open-sourced, and some observers say that's something many Linux users, who prefer open-source applications, may not warm up to. Gilliom doesn't think so, though. "Many Linux users do prefer roll-your-own solutions," he says, "but for Linux to move further into the mainstream, there has to be software available that doesn't require too much tweaking. We need to make Linux a run-and-go solution."