Symantec's Buying Binge

Customers want to move beyond point solutions and are demanding integrated security solutions that are easily managed under a centralized platform, this theory says. And Symantec and other security players such as Network Associates and Trend Micro are satisfying customers' needs through acquisitions, partnerships or home-grown solutions.

Symantec began rounding out its security solutions to move beyond its core antivirus offerings in July 2002 with the acquisition of intrusion-detection software vendor Recourse Technologies. Later that same month, Symantec bought threat and vulnerability data provider SecurityFocus. In October of this year, Symantec bought SafeWeb, a provider of SSL VPN appliances.

"People want a security environment and tools that integrate nicely,a one-stop shop for their security needs from antivirus, intrusion detection, vulnerability management and so on," said Jeff Wankel, security consultant at Meridian IT Solutions, Schaumburg, Ill. "I see a lot of our customers staying with Symantec because of [its] unified console."

Consistent rumors that Microsoft intended to step into the antivirus space also may be a factor in Symantec's acquisition spree, say partners and industry analysts. The rumors proved true this past September, when Microsoft closed its purchase of Romanian antivirus vendor GeCAD.

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Symantec declined to comment on the reasons behind its acquisition strategy because some of the deals are still pending, said a company spokesman.

However, Steve Crutchley, co-founder and chief security officer of 4FrontSecurity, Reston, Va., said the security vendor had no choice but to expand its portfolio one way or another. "Microsoft is going to heat up the antivirus market when they bring up their solutions," he said. "That's problem No. 1 for Symantec."

Problem No. 2 may also be related to Microsoft in the enterprise administration space, an area where Symantec also has made serious investments via acquisitions.

In July 2002, Symantec bought Mountain Wave, a provider of enterprise security management software and services. In September 2003 the vendor bought PowerQuest, a storage management vendor, and last week the company acquired enterprise infrastructure management software provider ON Technology.

Analysts say Symantec had to bulk up its enterprise administration capabilities now that its pcAnywhere product,which remotely manages and resolves help-desk and server issues,is essentially being absorbed into Windows XP. "Enterprise administration has been on the back burner for [Symantec] until now [since] many of the capabilities of pcAnywhere [are] built into Windows XP," said Alan Weinfeld, senior technology analyst with Fulcrum Global Partners, New York. "So now a large portion of pcAnywhere is superfluous. [Symantec] needed a shot in the arm in enterprise administration as a result, and got it with ON Technology and PowerQuest."