5 Mergers for a Less Aggravating IT Security Industry

Tired of wading through an overly saturated security market in search of the right defenses for your company? Here are some mergers security experts say would make the industry more tolerable.

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By , Senior Editor

June 15, 2009 — CSO —

The information security market has seen a ton of consolidation in the last couple of years, which can be a nightmare for IT shops trying to keep track of who really owns the software they're using and whom to call when the tool needs servicing. (Tracking Security Acquisitions Brings Headaches)

But there's another school of thought that such consolidation is actually making the security industry a less aggravating place. After all, the market has become saturated with so many vendors it can be difficult determining who sells what your enterprise truly needs to tackle a given malware or compliance issue. Besides, most IT shops would rather see security baked into the larger IT infrastructure provided by the likes of Microsoft, Cisco and others than spend money on a growing array of bolt-on devices.

With that in mind, CSOonline conducted an unscientific poll, asking security pros about five security mergers they would like to see. Respondents suggested the big IT providers like Microsoft, IBM and Cisco go in search of more security acquisitions to further integrate digital defenses into the pipeline. Others want to see bigger security vendors like Symantec and McAfee buy up smaller companies that have features they currently lack. [Analysis: Security Industry Consolidation]

We narrowed it down to three top-five lists submitted by three security industry leaders -- Lawrence Pingree, a San Francisco-based security pro with ties to McAfee, BuddyFetch Inc. and the Digital Forensics Association (DFA); Richard Stiennon, chief research analyst at IT-Harvest; and Mike Rothman, keeper of the Security Incite blog and senior vice president of strategy at elQnetworks.

Read what they have to say and add your voice to the debate via the "comments section" atop the page.

Top 5 mergers wished for by Lawrence Pingree, a San Francisco-based security pro with ties to McAfee, BuddyFetch Inc. and the Digital Forensics Association (DFA)
Pingree would like to see:

  • 1. McAfee bought by Microsoft
  • 2. Sourcefire absorbed by Symantec
  • 3. Imperva bought by Checkpoint
  • 4. Palo Alto Networks bought by RSA
  • 5. Sophos bought by IBM

Pingree explains his choices:

  • "Despite acquiring several security vendors in recent years, Microsoft still needs to bolster its security portfolio and still can't get there without more acquisition activity. They need something besides the Microsoft brand name to gain in the security space. A McAfee purchase would do well for them.
  • "Symantec lacks a good IDS/IPS and security scanning product, and a Sourcefire purchase would make Symantec appear focused on security again. They would also do well buying Rapid7 to pick up vulnerability management (another hole in their portfolio).
  • "The Imperva/Checkpoint idea is driven by the fact that Checkpoint's aim is to own the firewall market. Imperva is taking names due to PCI and would help solidify Checkpoint's game plan to own the firewall space.
  • "RSA lacks a good IDS/IPS product and needs to work to maintain its market share. I'm thinking that RSA still has the encryption brand name and would do well to start to market that they are a broader security play.
  • "IBM, meanwhile, is trying to be the service and software shop all in one and so adding Sophos to their portfolio would allow them better traction in the endpoint market, further extending their endpoint and server ownership strategy."

    Top 5 mergers wished for by Richard Stiennon, chief research analyst at IT-Harvest

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