Channel Beat: Palo Alto Leads Security Charge, Slams Cisco

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Palo Alto Networks posted big numbers in its first fiscal quarter of 2016, which ended on Halloween.

Sales were up 55 percent year over year, and billings were up 61 percent from the same quarter last year. Shares shot up more than 3 percent in after-hours trading. CEO Mark McLaughlin slammed Cisco on the earnings calls, saying Palo Alto beat the vendor handily, quarter after quarter.

Starwood hotels revealed a major security breach just before the busy holiday season. The hotel chain said 54 locations have been attacked with malware.

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W Hotels, Sheratons and Westins were all victims to malware intended to steal credit card information. According to Starwood, the attackers targeted restaurants and gift shops within hotels during the end of 2014 and beginning of 2015. Starwood disclosed the attacks in an open letter to customers.

Dimension Data will wrap up 2015 with 26 percent growth in organic sales, thanks largely to its security, networking and data center areas of business.

That number doesn’t include the company’s $471 million acquisition of solution provider Nexus, and CEO Mark Slaga said the company is on pace to hit $3 billion in sales by 2018. Security business grew 29 percent in 2015, while networking jumped 22 percent and data center grew 19 percent.

Slaga said the solution provider will focus on driving sales above market rates in 2016.

PUBLISHED NOV. 25, 2015