Resellers wary of Symantec's new Axent
Symantec's purchase of Axent Technologies last week has sparked concern in both vendors' channels.
Symantec's purchase of Axent Technologies last week has sparked concern in both vendors' channels.
Although analysts in the US predict the move could be a winning combination in the information security market, reaction in the UK was more guarded.
As the computer security market continues to rationalise in a series of take overs, resellers have voiced fears that their ability to add value may be compromised.
The acquisition, a stock-for-stock deal valued at $975m (£648.9m), was described by John Thompson, Symantec's chief executive, as "a major step in our enterprise strategy".
In July, analyst Gartner reported that there were 600 security vendors and claimed that users were confused over the choice of products.
Richard Saunders, Symantec's UK spokesman, said: "Users at the enterprise level want suites of products. There's too many issues involved with buying from different sources. These days you have to have a broad portfolio because clients find it difficult to believe that they can be supported cohesively."
Some resellers were horrified by this sentiment, although they were resigned to the market concentration among vendors.
"This puts Symantec in line with Network Associates and F Secure, so the next thing we can expect is for them to lump everything together under one suite banner," said Paolo Notarianni, sales manager at Portcullis Computer Security. "You can guess how much integration goes on. Anyway, isn't that our job?"
Another reseller said: "End users want the best-of-breed solutions and the integration of them is our business. This is where we add value, and make sure they get the best technology."
But Saunders hit back at this suggestion. "Security has moved on from the old sales model. It's not about buying technology. It's a boardroom issue these days."
Executives at security rival Network Associates said Symantec is following in its footsteps: "They're definitely following our lead," said Sal Viveros, a director at antivirus software vendor McAfee, a division of Network Associates.
"We made our security acquisitions back in 1997. It's going to take them 12 to 18 months to start executing on this. We think they will lose focus in that time," he added.