The Finnish security vendor Stonesoft announced that will work with VMware to support its upcoming VMsafe API.

Stonesoft is mainly focus on the enterprise firewall market and follows the competitors Check Point and Fortinet in supporting VMware.

As for many other security segments, VMsafe has a chance to lead a new generation of products.
In this specific case the opportunity for Stonesoft and the others is to deliver intrusion detection systems that really integrate with firewalls, featuring adaptive rulebases and finally matching the overly-abused term IPS (Intrusion Prevention System).  

VMware announced VMsafe in February. Hopefully the company is ready to show something more concrete for the imminent VMworld 2008 in Las Vegas.