Last modified: January 22, 1999 3:55 PM PST
Trends emerge from RSA show
It goes beyond the 50-plus companies announcing new products at RSA, beyond the preliminary deal negotiations, beyond the professional conference sessions on the hottest topics, and beyond IBM's annual Cryptographers Gala [held this year at San Jose's new Tech Museum].
With an ear to the ground, one can discern the forces shaping the Internet security industry. Here are the 10 trends that will move the industry in 1999:
1. Consolidation--You ain't seen nuthin' yet
Jim Hurley, industry analyst at Aberdeen
Group, earlier this week cited Kroll-O'Gara's January 4 purchase of
Internet security startup Securify
as a trend for the future. Acquisition-minded Kroll-O'Gara offers a full
range of security services in the physical world and is coming online.
"We are going to see more of these kinds of examples as we go forward," Hurley said in a speech at the RSA Data Security conference. "It will extend the envelope of security." To underscore the trend, yesterday Kroll-O'Gara bought another Internet security firm, Background America.
2. Security--not a suite idea.
Ted Julian, the well-regarded security analyst at Forrester Research didn't make the RSA
show, but his presence was felt nonetheless. Vendor after vendor cited Julian's
November report, "Security Suites: Dead On Arrival." One
keynoter laid out Julian's hypothesis in elaborate detail.
Julian's argument: Cobbling together several different security technologies--firewall, intrusion detection, and antivirus software, for example--into a suite of security products makes no sense for customers. Such bundles from Network Associates and Platinum Technologies can't offer the best product in every category, he said. Customers should buy the best, not the bundles.
3. Security as an enabler, not a barrier.
Today, Internet security is designed to keep bad guys out. But next-generation
security will enable connections between companies and customers, letting
the right people see the right information. Countless vendors hit the same
refrain: Internet security will boost e-commerce.
4. End-to-end solutions
Two giants, IBM and Hewlett-Packard used the show to outline
their enterprise security strategies. The message: Big companies like to
work with a single vendor who can take care of all their security
needs. The HP and IBM approaches differ significantly, but both
are telling a full security story.
IBM is integrating technologies from other vendors in addition to offering its own, seeking to move beyond single "point products" to an enterprise-wide approach. HP, which has been slow to pull together its security strategy, is likewise telling CIOs they can get everything they need by working with HP. Both giants see consulting services and integration as key elements of their offerings.
