Updata Advisors Selected IT Security M&A Transactions

188814 Resource 125361 126222 200444 1194471510091 1214510124143 Controlled The Security Vendor-Customer Gap

Customers Buy Point Solutions; Vendors Build Strategic Frameworks

IT Security is in a transition period marked by growing distance between how vendors and their customers view the market.  Vendors, particularly larger publics, <a title="IT Security Hot Topics" href="http://updataadvisors.com/publications/07UpdataBulletin-RSA0308.pdf" target="_blank">are building and marketing solution frameworks</a> -- Network Access Control (NAC), IAM (Identity and Access Management), and GRC (Governance, Risk & Compliance), etc.  Customers, however, still speak about specific needs, e.g. keeping confidential data in, properly logging network activity.  Longer-term, customers stand to benefit from a strategic approach to security.  However, shorter term, convenience and cost rule so customers will continue buying products for specific pain points and will avoid re-architecting/replacing existing investments.As an example, Network Access Control, unveiled by Cisco in 2003, offered the promise of a ‘self-defending network’ powered by a central, policy-based approach to security and compliance.  Despite Cisco’s heavy investment in the vision since then (and Microsoft’s in NAP), NAC remains an amorphous marketing label.  Hundreds of vendors define themselves as NAC solution providers, in areas that include discovery, access control, intrusion prevention, endpoint security, content security and vulnerability management.  Each vendor addresses needs falling within NAC, but do not themselves advance NAC adoption.  And customers are buying the specific solution rather than the vision.Ultimately, the promise of NAC and other valid solution frameworks will be realized, but on a piecemeal, evolutionary basis that will take longer than publicly envisioned.  This is good news for vendors seeking to benefit from the large potential market that NAC and other frameworks represent.  It also means that the ‘stack dominators’ – Cisco, EMC, HP, <a title="IBM Acquires Consul" href="http://www.updata.com/interior_advisorstransactions.asp?newsid=174" target="_blank">IBM</a>, Microsoft, Oracle – will continue to actively acquire vendors that help them turn the visions into reality. 9 application/xml false security Updata Advisors Selected IT Security M&A Transactions Selected IT security mergers and acquisitions deals completed by Updata Advisors http://updataadvisors.com/transactions.asp?sector=13&level2id=53&level2name=Security&sectorname=ALL%20SECTORS Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.0; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; InfoPath.1) 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 fbartolomey 208.82.213.22 false true false false true 125361 blog blogsite/UpdataAdvisors/web