ISS goes to IBM – more than a change of TLA?

IBM sucks in ISS for $1.3bn (more here and here) to follow on from the acquisition of FileNet.

What I find most interesting about this deals is that it would appear to be a service purchase rather than a technology purchase. ISS will not go into IBM’s software division, it will go into global services.

Most analysts seem to agree that IBM has little new technology to gain from the purchase. ISS already does managed security services and that is what IBM are purchasing.

There is clearly more consolidation in the security market to come now that the likes of IBM, Microsoft, CA and Sun have their eyes fixed on it. Not sure where that leaves Symantec, McAfee, CheckPoint, etc.

IBM obviously expect the current levels of expenditure on security to carry on growing.

(TLA – Three Letter Acronym)

tags: IBM, ISS, Microsoft, Security, Services, SaaS