Content area
Full Text
Rumors are swirling that Symantec may acquire start-up Vontu in a deal that hardly would come as a surprise, as large security giants scramble to add data-leak prevention technology to their product portfolios.
While officials at Symantec and Vontu decline to comment, such an acquisition would be the latest in a handful of examples of large security companies buying data-leak prevention players in the past twelve months (see graphic).With Cisco, McAfee and EMC's RSA group already in the game, Symantec needs an answer for customers asking how they can protect themselves from insider threats.
While the flurry of acquisitions has reduced the ranks of independent data-leak-prevention players to very few, the deals are generally good news for the customers of the smaller companies. Becoming part of a larger company means their products probably will have a longer life than if the start-ups tried to go it alone, one analyst says.
"If Symantec buys Vontu, I think it's good news; the products do work...