Start-up hungry HP has fed on another software company, acquiring identity management specialist Trustgenix.

HP currently taps Trustgenix as the basis of its OpenView Select Federation product and upon the close of the acquisition will make Trustgenix products a permanent addition to the OpenView portfolio. The start-up sells the IdentityBridge line of software for linking various identity management protocols. HP did not disclose financial terms of the deal and expects the buy to close in the next 30 days, pending on standard approvals.

"Identity federation appeals strongly to companies in the telecommunications, financial services, manufacturing and government industries," said Todd DeLaughter, a vice president at HP.

The OpenView Select Federation product can guide a user along different sites governed by the same security policies. This means that the user only needs to sign-in once to such a system and will have his preferences transferred to each site in the "federated" network.

HP has been working to bolster its OpenView management software for a long time. Recently, it purchased AppIQ, RLX and Peregrine Systems as part of this OpenView quest.

Away from the acquisition, it was revealed that Nora Denzel, HP's highest-ranking software executive, has resigned. As SVP and general manager of HP's software unit, the effervescent Denzel ran the show under previous CEO Carly Fiorina and appeared to be one of Fiorina's favorites. DeLaughter will take over her responsibilities for the time being. ®

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