CISO October 12, 2016
By Patrick Vandenberg 2 min read

Disruption doesn’t have to be disruptive when it comes to enterprise security. Say what? Let me explain.

The cybersecurity landscape recently experienced some disruption when two leading software vendors announced the divestitures of their enterprise security businesses. But what does this mean for the market overall? And what does it mean for clients and their future planning and purchasing choices?

Survival of the Fittest

Traditionally, the tech world loves disruptive technologies. Find a truly new way to do something and customers will beat a path to your door. Disruptive technologies can cause established players to reinvent themselves. Vendors that react to the challenge are more likely to succeed.

But the market disruption in enterprise security today is not about disruptive technologies — it’s more elementary. The type of disruption we are seeing is often the result of failed strategies, failed execution or both. Finding and executing on a sound business model remains a challenge for IT security providers.

Even in segments with high growth rates, such as security information and event management (SIEM), we see examples of business, such as LogRhythm, falling short of expectations and requiring more funding. So how do you make the right vendor choice?

Investment and Evolution

What we are really talking about here is client success — but not just a snapshot of success like a single product evaluation, decision or deployment. We are looking at the long-term success of a solution, with a mix of dozens of other tools, in forming a layer of protection for an enterprise. This doesn’t happen by chance.

A hit product and a rapid period of initial growth can overwhelm a vendor with customer requests for enhancements, which could derail a strategic vision. Continually adapting in a rapidly evolving market like enterprise security requires a mix of foresight, resources and execution, all backed by a sound business plan.

Enterprise Security: The Foundation of Success

IBM Security has emerged as one of the very few services providers that balance execution and vision to enable executives and security professionals to manage rapidly growing businesses and fuel innovation. Sometimes that drives acquisitions and sometimes it steers continued augmentation of existing solutions. Either way, this momentum has enabled IBM to develop and promote an immune system approach to enterprise security.

In the tech industry, we’re suckers for exciting innovation, but it’s easy to overlook the foundations of success. IBM Security continues to innovate in cloud, collaboration and cognitive security, support evolving client requirements and acquire complementary technologies. That approach, in turn, enables us to stay focused on our clients’ ongoing success.

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Patrick Vandenberg
Program Director, Security Product Marketing, IBM

Patrick Vandenberg is responsible for portfolio marketing for IBM Security including security analytics, threat protection and X-Force security research. Pat...

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