TIP Unveils Research

NEW YORK -- RSA and EMC, along with Secure Computing and CipherTrust, are two examples of the most recent high profile acquisitions in the Information Security provider landscape. TheInfoPro's (TIP, www.theinfopro.net) investigation of the market via hundreds of in-depth interviews with Fortune 1000 decision makers has proven to be an excellent predictor.

"TIP has been studying this market since 2002, with a new study completed in six month Waves," notes TIP CEO and founder Ken Male. "It is uncanny - the predictive nature our research for M&A activity - dating back from Juniper buying Netscreen to Check Point buying Zone Labs, and from Symantec buying Sygate to the most recent spate."

TIP has recently released Wave 7 of its Information Security market that includes the latest Technology Heat Index(TM) which measures the immediacy of implementation for over 40 Information Security technologies overlaying those vendors who are on the shortlist to deliver, and for that reason a powerful M&A indicator. Technologies that score high on Wave 7 include Network Access Control, Outbound Content Compliance, Security Information & Event Management (SIEM), Data Encryption, Authentication, Network Intrusion Prevention, and Identity Management. Security pros have once again weighed in with their list of "exciting" vendors and their shortlists of providers for the hot technologies including Vontu, ArcSight, Network Intelligence, Verdasys, PGP, Postini, RSA Security (acquired by EMC after the interviews were completed) Watchfire, ISS, Vericept, Counterpane, and Skybox Security.

"Many technology providers use TIP's Technology Heat Index (TM) as a way to identify new markets to get involved in, whether through internal R&D or acquisition. Having the shortlist of vendors provides the potential acquisition target. In addition," continues Male, "we capture data on the vendors that Security pros feel have the most 'exciting products', and we allow the decision makers to decide who they want to discuss. The intelligence we capture in this part of the one on one interview and the Technology Heat Index(TM) are an excellent combination to gauge potential M&A activity. " Past exciting vendors who were acquired soon after appearing in a TIP Study include TippingPoint (by 3Com), Neoteris (by Juniper), BindView (by Symantec) and Netegrity (by CA).

TheInfoPro Inc. (TIP)