IT security goes mainstream at RSA Conference

How will IT security be integrated with physical access control??

"Protection from internal threats, such as accidental or malicious disclosure of confidential information, is expected to be a major topic this week. Websense is expected to unveil its new Content Protection Suite and McAfee also is entering the space crowded with smaller players such as Vontu, Code Green Networks and GTB Technologies."

OK - How will all of those be integrated? Does anyone really believe one company can provide all the answers?

Dynamic Security can integrate these systems if they have an interface...

Feb 6, 2007 3:39 PM

The annual RSA Conference is showing evidence of a maturing information security industry with an increasing role for big-name companies. The event has developed into an annual gathering for corporate IT pros and a showcase for hundreds of companies, small and large, that market security products and services to businesses.

Security is becoming more structured and part of the IT infrastructure at companies, instead of being added on later, analysts tell USA Today. Companies including Oracle, Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, Cisco Systems and Intel are vying for a piece of the pie, which may hurt the smaller industry players, they add.

"There seems to have been a recognition among some of the larger vendors that they can make money with security or, more likely, that they're not going to make any money if they don't have security in the future," said Gartner Analyst Ray Wagner. "That's certainly going to hurt some of the smaller vendors."

Case in point: Database giant Oracle for the first time will have a major presence at the RSA Conference. The company will promote its identity management products as well as software to secure the applications it sells to help large enterprises with things like accounting and human resources. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison is slated to deliver a keynote speech at the San Francisco event.

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates kicked off the conference Tuesday in a keynote.

"In a lot of ways security is becoming more boring," Andrew Jaquith of the Yankee Group tells USA Today. "But boring is good. Boring means maturation. Boring means you're seeing large companies like IBM have a really rounded out security story. This is good for the mainstreaming of security into the way people run their business."

As products have become more mainstream, so have the RSA attendees. The bulk of the event is geared to less specialized visitors. "Security concerns are moving away from tech geeks with pocket protectors monitoring networks in a back closet somewhere, to something that business managers and more senior folks are concerned with," says George Tubin, an analyst with TowerGroup.

Of the more than 340 exhibitors at the RSA Conference in San Francisco's Moscone convention center, many companies in the security arena are using the event to announce new initiatives, products or product updates.

Protection from internal threats, such as accidental or malicious disclosure of confidential information, is expected to be a major topic this week. Websense is expected to unveil its new Content Protection Suite and McAfee also is entering the space crowded with smaller players such as Vontu, Code Green Networks and GTB Technologies.