With cyber security paramount in 2020, here is #7 of our top seven trends to watch out for.
7. Cloud consolidation is set to continue
The need to secure cloud services is continuing to drive disruptive change in security approaches. Enterprise cloud adoption continues to drive shifts in the market as legacy security vendors move to consolidate new technologies, and hyperscale cloud providers roll out solutions baked into their platforms. Some of the key moves through 2019 were:
- Palo Alto Networks spent north of $1 billion USD on acquisitions for the second year running. This year their acquisitions focused on furthering their cloud offerings by snapping up companies that covered the gamut of buzz solutions from RSA 19: Demisto (SOAR), Twistlock (container), PureSec (serverless), ZingBox (IoT) and Aporeto microsegmentation).
- Check Point was not to be outdone by their NGFW rival, spending an unspecified amount on their own list of products: ForceNock (application), Cymplify (IoT) and Protego Labs (serverless), to continue to develop their cloud foundation begun with the acquisition of Dome9 last year.
- Sumo Logic acquired autonomous SOC provider, JASK, to strengthen their SIEM play as they pivot from a data first company into the security space.
- F5’s acquisition of NGINX for $670 million expanded their presence into open-source, multi-cloud services.
- Microsoft established themselves as a stronger security player, moving upwards in analyst reviews across their endpoint protection, identity and access, and cloud security solutions, taking a cloud first approach to all.
- Amazon launched new solutions, spreading their wings into SIEM (Detective), IAM (identity and access management) and SOAR (Macie) to go with their previous forays into WAF, DDos mitigation and other security technologies.
The development of hyperscalers as security players is an interesting development. It’s the age-old argument of centralised security vs. best of breed. Do you want to go with one provider or pick and choose ‘best of breed’? Some will go all-in with one vendor, and some will go ‘best of breed’ for all.
The impact is going to be interesting as partnerships between hyperscalers and vendors become more crucial. Over time, they will come to see that the other is better in core areas, forcing synergy so each can focus on their strengths. The hyperscalers are only just starting to focus on security, but over time you will see a mitosis, with both models growing.
We are witnessing a revolution in cloud security, as AI drives more and deeper advanced data capabilities. Vendors can’t build the next technology while continuing to develop what they already have, so they will continue to allow tech start-ups to build new tech and acquire it as it matures.
At Westcon-Comstor, we will continue to watch for the next-generation solutions that will stand on their own, while working with established vendors to develop sales motions for their new acquisitions.
Missed the previous articles?
1. Network, where security is more important than ever
2. Innovation will continue to solve new problems
3. IoT point solutions gain momentum, paving the way for a broader market
