ESG Blogs

Splunk (SPLK) went public this week and both Infoblox and Palo Alto Networks will soon follow. This could be the start of a security IPO run moving forward. Why? Status quo security defenses aren't working so there is a burgeoning market for next-generation security technologies. This market opportunity has driven M&A activities for years but we've recently seen far broader interest in security. HP grabbed ArcSight and started a security business unit. IBM acquired Q1 Labs and did the same. Dell purchased SecureWorks and SonicWall. Investment is pouring into the security sector driving innovation and a present and future wave of IPOs.

You have to give Dell a lot of credit. As the company recognized changes in the industry, it was willing to move beyond efficient PC/server manufacturing and distribution into new technologies and labor-intensive services. In my domain, this led to the acquisition of SecureWorks and Force10. Today, Dell took another step into end-to-end solutions by grabbing security veteran SonicWall.

I missed the keynotes at RSA as I was buried with wall-to-wall meetings from the time I arrived on Monday through Thursday evening. Nevertheless, I had a chance to speak with a lot of security industry insiders and IT security professionals during my time at RSA. Building on my previous blog, here are a few additional take-aways: