The Connector Point ID technology has "a couple of hundred" U.S. patents associated with it, TE officials say. It was invented by M. H. Raza, who is responsible for strategic products in the Enterprise Networks division of TE Connectivity. He managed development of the Quareo line of products at TE, and came to the company from ADC Telecommunications, which . 

Raza had been vice president of ADC's enterprise business. Before ADC, he was vice president of product management at Fujitsu and senior director for IP telephony at 3Com.

"Current network management systems monitor, control and secure Layers 2 through 7," Raza says. "The ability to query, view and manage Layer 1 in a manner that is integrated with current network management policies has not been possible until now."

TE's customers include original equipment manufacturers and their contract manufacturers in the automotive, data communications, industrial, appliance, computer and consumer devices markets, as well as telecommunications, energy and oil and gas. Competitors include Alcatel-Lucent, Corning and Molex.

in Network World's Data Center section.