MSSPs: At your service
- Article 5 of 33
- SC Magazine, November 2006
With security becoming increasingly complex to manage, formerly reluctant organisations are embracing outsourcing, says Rob Buckley.
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Similarly, Thomas Raschke at Forrester Research is sceptical of some parts of IBM's acquisition, yet thinks it's a good move on balance. “The threat protection angle was something IBM was lacking,” he says. “Now the company is set to emerge as the most complete vendor in the security space.”
Both Raschke and Parveen believe we'll have to wait until IBM has made clear what its plans are, particularly in terms of how it integrates ISS's products into its own portfolio, before we can predict what the company will do next.
Still, they expect a string of consolidations and acquisitions in the next few years. Some of this will purely be as a result of the maturity of the market. “If you're a successful MSSP and want to avoid being acquired, you'll probably have to focus on either a specific solution or vertical,” says Parveen. “But it still doesn't mean you won't get bought.”
But some acquisitions will be in response to IBM, with HP likely to look again at the MSS market. It may also prompt new entrants into the sector, she adds. “There's a need to get into IT services in general by telecoms companies, and with security a top concern for CIOs, this is going to be core.”
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