Employees work from home, and many of them do it all the time. Apps are moving to the cloud at an accelerated pace. Today, corporate security is all about secure remote access and protecting cloud resources. This means that enterprises need to deploy SD-WAN, Secure Access Service Boundary (SASE), and zero-trust Network access (ZTNA).
Anyone who has ever attended an RSA conference understands that cybersecurity vendors present hundreds of amazing innovative products every year, writes the CSO publication. But senior managers don't hunt for the most exciting new products. Faced with an acute shortage of security specialists and the ability to deal with rapidly growing threats, information security directors are more likely to look for strategic partners, consulting services, and vendors offering broader platforms. They also gravitate towards managed security services and cloud solutions.
Here is a list of 10 U.S. IT security companies that have taken bold steps over the past year and have taken influential positions in the industry. All companies are listed in alphabetical order.
Critical Solutions:In May, Cisco bought Kenna Security, which provides vulnerability management technology based on risk assessment.
A look at the numbers
espite market and supply chain disruptions related to Covid, Cisco's annual security revenue increased 7% year-over-year to $ 3.3 billion.
Outlook:Eric Parisot, Senior Analyst at Omdia, describes Cisco's security position as follows: "Cisco remains one of the strongest top-level competitors in enterprise security today, especially in networking, but the huge strides Cisco has made in cloud security are often overlooked. Umbrella's cloud - based security solution is one of the most popular and fast-growing offerings from the Cisco security division. When combined with other cloud offerings, including Threat Grid, Stealthwatch Cloud, and Duo, all of which Cisco integrates with its other security solutions, such as firewalls and network access management solutions, Cisco will remain a force to be reckoned with in enterprise security for some time to come."
Critical Solutions:Acquisition of S2 Systems, a Seattle-based startup that has developed an innovative remote browser isolation solution unlike any other currently on the market. The technology will help protect endpoints from zero-day attacks.
A look at the numbers: After a successful IPO and 53% revenue growth over the last quarter, Cloudflare boasts a market capitalization of $ 38.5 billion.
Forecast: Cloudflare, led by founder and CEO Matthew Prince, has a simple and effective goal: to make the Internet a better place. According to Frost & Sullivan, the company is well positioned to meet the growing security needs of websites and web applications around the world. "The Cloudflare concept reflects the desire to ensure the security of customers' infrastructure without losing performance. Cloudflare is a clear leader in innovation, " adds Frost & Sullivan.
Critical Solutions:CrowdStrike acquired Preempt Security, a provider of zero-trust and conditional access technology for threat prevention, and allocated $ 400 million for Humio, a provider of high-performance cloud log management technologies.
A look at the numbers: for the fiscal year ending January 2021, revenue grew 82% to $ 874 million. Since its IPO in April 2019, CrowdStrike's stock has grown to approximately $ 230 per share, bringing its current market capitalization to $ 52 billion.
Outlook:"CrowdStrike started out as a threat intelligence provider and continues to be at the forefront," Forrester reports. The company has a strategy that includes expanding cloud, mobile technologies and vulnerability analysis methods, as well as continuing to invest in digital intelligence. Forrester noted: "Customers using the Falcon X Elite tier in CrowdStrike have been extremely impressed with the level of service provided by dedicated analysts."
Critical solutions:In December, Fortinet bought Panopta, a provider of cloud-based IT operations management solutions. In March, Fortinet acquired ShieldX, a cloud and network security provider, and in July, Fortinet acquired continuous testing provider AppSec Sken.ai.
A look at the numbers:34 million: the amount that Fortinet paid for Panopta.
Prospects: Under the constant guidance of the Xie brothers (Ken and Michael), Fortinet separated from the group, developing its own ASICs and trying, as much as possible, to build an integrated, optimized security framework from scratch. For example, while its competitors were buying from start-up SD-WAN vendors and struggling with integration, Fortinet built its own SD-WAN. The do-it-yourself approach can only get you so far, which is why Fortinet has absorbed vendors that fill some of the holes in the company's portfolio. But the brothers have Fortinet well-positioned to take advantage of the transition from a perimeter security model to a new world of remote access, cloud, and zero trust.
Critical solutions:In January, IBM acquired StackRox, a provider of Kubernetes containers and security software.
A look at the numbers:According to IBM's annual Data leak report, data leak costs rose from $ 3.86 million to $ 4.24 million, the highest average total cost in the report's 17-year history.
Prediction: The naming convention of IBM's security products and services can sometimes be confusing: there's the QRadar line. There are X-Force capabilities for threat research and analysis. There is a Cloud Pak platform for security. In March, IBM announced an expanded set of services called IBM Security Services for Cloud. In any case, IBM's security products and services are highly rated and well aligned with the company's broader goal of implementing a hybrid cloud.
Critical Decisions:Mandia has moved out of the shadow of FireEye and has been able to focus exclusively on its core business.
A look at the numbers:1.2 billion: the amount that a consortium led by Symphony Technology Group (STG) paid for FireEye's portfolio of threat detection products.
Forecast:According to Forrester analysts Jeff Pollard, Brian Kyme and Joseph Blankenship, " the relationship between the two sides of the business has never been equal, and eventually Mandiant realized that outdated FireEye solutions were holding them back." Forrester added that " Mandiant seems to be able to continue moving forward by optimizing itself. The separation will allow Mandiant to benefit from its smart services and grow its information security business."
Взгляд на цифры: 10 миллиардов долларов. В январе Microsoft заявила, что за предыдущие 12 месяцев получила более 10 миллиардов долларов дохода от безопасности, что более чем на 40% выше показателей аналогичного периода прошлого года.
Critical Microsoft continues to fill gaps in its security portfolio with its recent purchases of RiskIQ and CloudKnox.
Forecast:embedding Microsoft Defender in Windows, Microsoft can get ahead of third-party security vendors. In the past, competitors could claim that their tools were superior to the security features provided by Microsoft. But this is no longer the case. For example, Gartner rates Microsoft as a leader in endpoint protection and a great look ahead for the SIEM Azure Sentinel product. "Both Defender for Endpoint and the security mechanisms built into Windows 10 have evolved exponentially over the course of the year, along with adding new features to each Windows release to create a holistic set of security layers," says Gartner. Microsoft's security platform is cloud-based, and the company is configured to allow organizations to safely move more of their applications to the cloud.
alo Alto Networks, the largest security vendor ($4.3 billion in annual revenue, up 25% year-over-year), has been driving innovation since it rocked the industry with its first next-generation firewall back in 2007. Today, Palo Alto offers a wide range of cloud-based security products and services. Forrester ranks Palo Alto as a leader in zero-trust networks. An endpoint security assessment conducted by Forrester states that Palo Alto's offering "is the most comprehensive in this study, with the company offering threat prevention, detection, and access control products that span endpoints, the Internet of Things, and network and cloud applications."
Critical decisions:In November, Palo Alto Networks announced its intention to acquire Expanse, a provider of attack surface management tools, for $ 800 million. In February 2021, Palo Alto Networks bought cloud security company Bridgecrew for approximately $ 156 million.
A look at the numbers: 14 - the number of Palo Alto acquisitions in the last four years.
Forecastalo Alto shares recently jumped when the company announced that it would stop buying, at least for now. The company plans to continue integrating recent acquisitions into its product lines and take advantage of the headwinds associated with the increasingly dangerous security environment facing businesses. Jefferies analyst Brent Till says: "We believe that the leader in network security remains well positioned to meet customer needs in a hybrid world, given the huge investment in cloud security." Mizuho analyst Gregg Moskowitz adds that Palo Alto "easily has the strongest array of cloud resources among traditional network security vendors."
Critical Solutions: Rapid7 recently acquired threat intelligence startup IntSights for $ 335 million to provide customers with a unified view of threats, attack surface monitoring, and proactive threat mitigation.
A look at the numbers: $ 335 million - the amount Rapid7 paid for IntSights.
Forecast:Rapid7 has good prospects for the future. As a cloud platform, it is designed for modern hybrid and multi-cloud environments. The company's strengths are analytics and automation, two areas that are becoming increasingly important for organizations involved in enterprise security. The company offers a managed detection and response service that can be critical for understaffed and overworked security professionals who are dealing with an increasingly dangerous attack environment. And Rapid7 is constantly adding new features to its platform. For example, in July, the company launched InsightCloudSec, a service that combines the cloud and container security capabilities of its recent DivvyCloud and Alcide acquisitions.
Critical decisions:In May, Zscaler agreed to buy Smokescreen Technologies, which provides technology to proactively search for new enemy tactics and uses deception technology to confuse opponents.
A look at the numbers:59.6% annual growth in Zscaler revenue in the last quarter (from $ 110.5 million to $ 176.4 million).
Outlook:Zscaler is in great shape, taking full advantage of trends in the zero-trust security industry, enhanced remote employee access, and an increase in the number of applications and data in the cloud. Zscaler also positions itself not just as a provider of cloud-based security solutions, but also as a partner for enterprises starting their digital transformation.
Author: Neal Weinberg
Anyone who has ever attended an RSA conference understands that cybersecurity vendors present hundreds of amazing innovative products every year, writes the CSO publication. But senior managers don't hunt for the most exciting new products. Faced with an acute shortage of security specialists and the ability to deal with rapidly growing threats, information security directors are more likely to look for strategic partners, consulting services, and vendors offering broader platforms. They also gravitate towards managed security services and cloud solutions.
Here is a list of 10 U.S. IT security companies that have taken bold steps over the past year and have taken influential positions in the industry. All companies are listed in alphabetical order.
Cisco
Why they're here:With a series of strategic acquisitions (CloudLock, Viptela, Duo, and Thousand Eyes among the most notable) and an unprecedented ability to integrate new products into its core security and network platforms, Cisco has taken a leading position in emerging security areas such as SD-WAN, zero-trust network access, and SASE. Gartner estimates Cisco as a visionary in its endpoint protection rating, noting that the Cisco SecureX cloud service combines security analytics, threat search, and threat analytics in a single view to investigate and respond to cyberattacks.Critical Solutions:In May, Cisco bought Kenna Security, which provides vulnerability management technology based on risk assessment.
A look at the numbers
espite market and supply chain disruptions related to Covid, Cisco's annual security revenue increased 7% year-over-year to $ 3.3 billion.Outlook:Eric Parisot, Senior Analyst at Omdia, describes Cisco's security position as follows: "Cisco remains one of the strongest top-level competitors in enterprise security today, especially in networking, but the huge strides Cisco has made in cloud security are often overlooked. Umbrella's cloud - based security solution is one of the most popular and fast-growing offerings from the Cisco security division. When combined with other cloud offerings, including Threat Grid, Stealthwatch Cloud, and Duo, all of which Cisco integrates with its other security solutions, such as firewalls and network access management solutions, Cisco will remain a force to be reckoned with in enterprise security for some time to come."
Cloudflare
Why they're here:Cloudflare created one of the largest global content delivery networks (CDNs), and then captured the importance of advancing cloud technology, mobility, and remote access to become a leader in cloud security. Frost & Sullivan says Cloudflare is an innovator in what it calls holistic web protection (DDoS prevention, web application firewall, and bot risk management). And the company doesn't stop there, as it recently announced an expansion that goes beyond protecting companies ' external infrastructure, and now its products include protecting internal employees who need access to applications hosted on the Internet.Critical Solutions:Acquisition of S2 Systems, a Seattle-based startup that has developed an innovative remote browser isolation solution unlike any other currently on the market. The technology will help protect endpoints from zero-day attacks.
A look at the numbers: After a successful IPO and 53% revenue growth over the last quarter, Cloudflare boasts a market capitalization of $ 38.5 billion.
Forecast: Cloudflare, led by founder and CEO Matthew Prince, has a simple and effective goal: to make the Internet a better place. According to Frost & Sullivan, the company is well positioned to meet the growing security needs of websites and web applications around the world. "The Cloudflare concept reflects the desire to ensure the security of customers' infrastructure without losing performance. Cloudflare is a clear leader in innovation, " adds Frost & Sullivan.
CrowdStrike Holdings
Why they're here: As the center of gravity of enterprise security has shifted toward cloud-based endpoints and workload protection, threat analysis, and incident response, CrowdStrike has taken the lead with its Falcon platform. Gartner says CrowdStrike "has a strong reputation as a one-stop solution provider for organizations looking to consolidate their forces for endpoint protection and disaster recovery." In addition, CrowdStrike's professional services "are highly rated and popular among customers who do not have their own SOC/threat search teams, and those who want to improve their internal security," says Gartner.Critical Solutions:CrowdStrike acquired Preempt Security, a provider of zero-trust and conditional access technology for threat prevention, and allocated $ 400 million for Humio, a provider of high-performance cloud log management technologies.
A look at the numbers: for the fiscal year ending January 2021, revenue grew 82% to $ 874 million. Since its IPO in April 2019, CrowdStrike's stock has grown to approximately $ 230 per share, bringing its current market capitalization to $ 52 billion.
Outlook:"CrowdStrike started out as a threat intelligence provider and continues to be at the forefront," Forrester reports. The company has a strategy that includes expanding cloud, mobile technologies and vulnerability analysis methods, as well as continuing to invest in digital intelligence. Forrester noted: "Customers using the Falcon X Elite tier in CrowdStrike have been extremely impressed with the level of service provided by dedicated analysts."
Fortinet
Why they're here:Fortinet has evolved from a simple firewall provider to a full-service security center that leads the way in mission-critical areas such as SIEM (FortiSIEM), next-generation firewalls (FortiGate), SD-WAN, SASE, and zero trust. The ever-expanding Fortinet Security Platform includes intrusion detection and response, web security, sandboxing, advanced endpoints, identity/multi-factor authentication, multi-cloud workload protection, Cloud Application Security Broker (CASB), browser isolation, and web application firewall capabilities. .Critical solutions:In December, Fortinet bought Panopta, a provider of cloud-based IT operations management solutions. In March, Fortinet acquired ShieldX, a cloud and network security provider, and in July, Fortinet acquired continuous testing provider AppSec Sken.ai.
A look at the numbers:34 million: the amount that Fortinet paid for Panopta.
Prospects: Under the constant guidance of the Xie brothers (Ken and Michael), Fortinet separated from the group, developing its own ASICs and trying, as much as possible, to build an integrated, optimized security framework from scratch. For example, while its competitors were buying from start-up SD-WAN vendors and struggling with integration, Fortinet built its own SD-WAN. The do-it-yourself approach can only get you so far, which is why Fortinet has absorbed vendors that fill some of the holes in the company's portfolio. But the brothers have Fortinet well-positioned to take advantage of the transition from a perimeter security model to a new world of remote access, cloud, and zero trust.
IBM
Why they're here:IBM is a leader in enterprise-level security, with a world-class security operations center, an impressive suite of security products, and a fully managed security team. IBM's security portfolio includes the industry-leading QRadar SIEM platform, Guardium for data protection and leakage, Trusteer fraud Protection, X-Force Threat Intelligence, QRadar Network Insights for network discovery and response, and QRadar Vulnerability Manager.Critical solutions:In January, IBM acquired StackRox, a provider of Kubernetes containers and security software.
A look at the numbers:According to IBM's annual Data leak report, data leak costs rose from $ 3.86 million to $ 4.24 million, the highest average total cost in the report's 17-year history.
Prediction: The naming convention of IBM's security products and services can sometimes be confusing: there's the QRadar line. There are X-Force capabilities for threat research and analysis. There is a Cloud Pak platform for security. In March, IBM announced an expanded set of services called IBM Security Services for Cloud. In any case, IBM's security products and services are highly rated and well aligned with the company's broader goal of implementing a hybrid cloud.
Mandiant
Why they're here:Mandiant has established itself as the company you call when a major breach has occurred, and you need a team of highly qualified experts to help you once intrusions are detected and respond correctly to them. Over the years, Mandiant has expanded its offerings beyond consulting to include SaaS-based security screening, threat analysis, and managed detection and response. In 2013, security hardware vendor FireEye bought Mandiant (founded by Kevin Mandia). The combined company was still called FireEye, with Mandia as CEO. However, the union was not successful, and in June Mandiant announced the terms of the divorce: FireEye was decided to sell.Critical Decisions:Mandia has moved out of the shadow of FireEye and has been able to focus exclusively on its core business.
A look at the numbers:1.2 billion: the amount that a consortium led by Symphony Technology Group (STG) paid for FireEye's portfolio of threat detection products.
Forecast:According to Forrester analysts Jeff Pollard, Brian Kyme and Joseph Blankenship, " the relationship between the two sides of the business has never been equal, and eventually Mandiant realized that outdated FireEye solutions were holding them back." Forrester added that " Mandiant seems to be able to continue moving forward by optimizing itself. The separation will allow Mandiant to benefit from its smart services and grow its information security business."
Microsoft
Why they're here:Leveraging a huge base of installed Windows, Office, and Active Directory clients, Microsoft has built a security platform that integrates with its software portfolio and extends to the Azure cloud. Microsoft offers endpoint protection, identity and access management, information and security event management (SIEM), threat detection, web application gateways, and various Azure-based cloud security services.Взгляд на цифры: 10 миллиардов долларов. В январе Microsoft заявила, что за предыдущие 12 месяцев получила более 10 миллиардов долларов дохода от безопасности, что более чем на 40% выше показателей аналогичного периода прошлого года.
Critical Microsoft continues to fill gaps in its security portfolio with its recent purchases of RiskIQ and CloudKnox.
Forecast:embedding Microsoft Defender in Windows, Microsoft can get ahead of third-party security vendors. In the past, competitors could claim that their tools were superior to the security features provided by Microsoft. But this is no longer the case. For example, Gartner rates Microsoft as a leader in endpoint protection and a great look ahead for the SIEM Azure Sentinel product. "Both Defender for Endpoint and the security mechanisms built into Windows 10 have evolved exponentially over the course of the year, along with adding new features to each Windows release to create a holistic set of security layers," says Gartner. Microsoft's security platform is cloud-based, and the company is configured to allow organizations to safely move more of their applications to the cloud.
Palo Alto Networks
Why they're herealo Alto Networks, the largest security vendor ($4.3 billion in annual revenue, up 25% year-over-year), has been driving innovation since it rocked the industry with its first next-generation firewall back in 2007. Today, Palo Alto offers a wide range of cloud-based security products and services. Forrester ranks Palo Alto as a leader in zero-trust networks. An endpoint security assessment conducted by Forrester states that Palo Alto's offering "is the most comprehensive in this study, with the company offering threat prevention, detection, and access control products that span endpoints, the Internet of Things, and network and cloud applications."Critical decisions:In November, Palo Alto Networks announced its intention to acquire Expanse, a provider of attack surface management tools, for $ 800 million. In February 2021, Palo Alto Networks bought cloud security company Bridgecrew for approximately $ 156 million.
A look at the numbers: 14 - the number of Palo Alto acquisitions in the last four years.
Forecast
alo Alto shares recently jumped when the company announced that it would stop buying, at least for now. The company plans to continue integrating recent acquisitions into its product lines and take advantage of the headwinds associated with the increasingly dangerous security environment facing businesses. Jefferies analyst Brent Till says: "We believe that the leader in network security remains well positioned to meet customer needs in a hybrid world, given the huge investment in cloud security." Mizuho analyst Gregg Moskowitz adds that Palo Alto "easily has the strongest array of cloud resources among traditional network security vendors."Rapid7
Why they're here: Rapid7, recognized as a leader in the latest SIEM product evaluation conducted by Gartner, has built an extensive portfolio of cloud security offerings under the Insight brand. The Rapid7 platform includes threat detection and incident response, vulnerability management, application security, cloud health management, user behavior analytics, network traffic analysis, logging, and reporting.Critical Solutions: Rapid7 recently acquired threat intelligence startup IntSights for $ 335 million to provide customers with a unified view of threats, attack surface monitoring, and proactive threat mitigation.
A look at the numbers: $ 335 million - the amount Rapid7 paid for IntSights.
Forecast:Rapid7 has good prospects for the future. As a cloud platform, it is designed for modern hybrid and multi-cloud environments. The company's strengths are analytics and automation, two areas that are becoming increasingly important for organizations involved in enterprise security. The company offers a managed detection and response service that can be critical for understaffed and overworked security professionals who are dealing with an increasingly dangerous attack environment. And Rapid7 is constantly adding new features to its platform. For example, in July, the company launched InsightCloudSec, a service that combines the cloud and container security capabilities of its recent DivvyCloud and Alcide acquisitions.
Zscaler
Why they're here:Businesses may start simply by wanting to create secure remote access to cloud services, but they quickly realized that they need much more: a truly secure cloud access system includes zero-trust network access (ZTNA), remote browser isolation (RBI), sandboxing, firewall as a service (FWaaS), Data loss prevention (DLP), Cloud access Security Broker (CASB), and other cloud-based security services. According to the latest analysis of secure web gateways conducted by Gartner, Zscaler was the only provider included in the category of leaders.Critical decisions:In May, Zscaler agreed to buy Smokescreen Technologies, which provides technology to proactively search for new enemy tactics and uses deception technology to confuse opponents.
A look at the numbers:59.6% annual growth in Zscaler revenue in the last quarter (from $ 110.5 million to $ 176.4 million).
Outlook:Zscaler is in great shape, taking full advantage of trends in the zero-trust security industry, enhanced remote employee access, and an increase in the number of applications and data in the cloud. Zscaler also positions itself not just as a provider of cloud-based security solutions, but also as a partner for enterprises starting their digital transformation.
Author: Neal Weinberg
