Enterprise Network Security In Cloud Computing And Virtualization

Topics covered: Internet Infrastructure and Services Consolidation - Enterprise Adoption of Cloud Computing - Growing Cybersecurity Demand - Social Networking Economics

In the following brief excerpt from the Internet Services Report, expert analysts discuss the outlook for the sector and for investors.

Todd C. Weller, CFA, joined the Stifel, Nicolaus & Co., Inc., innovation team in connection with Stifel's acquisition of Legg Mason's capital markets group in December 2005. Mr. Weller covers the software and Internet infrastructure sector with a current focus on data centers, managed/cloud hosting and security. Previously joining Legg Mason in 1998, he was an Associate Analyst at Prudential Securities covering companies in the Internet and electronic commerce sector. Previously that, Mr. Weller was a Technology Assistant at BT Alex. Brown, Inc. He was ranked first for revenues accuracy and third for stock picking in the software industry and second for stock picking in the health care research industry by the Financial Times/StarMine in 2009, when he was as well ranked third for stock picking in Internet and computer services by The Wall Street Journal. In 2008, he was ranked second for revenues accuracy in the software industry by the Financial Times/StarMine. Mr. Weller has a B.A. in economics with certificates in finance and management science from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and an MBA from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Mr. Weller: Yes, so if you think about it within our coverage, I mean, Check Point's offer is predominantly network focused, even though they do as well offer endpoint capabilities. Websense is more of a Web security player, and BlueCoat plays there as then. So the only security company that has a significant kind of data protection play is Symantec. They are anyway you look at it a large company with a lot of different elements to their business, however they have an encryption piece with PGP acquisition that they did, as well GuardianEdge. They have authentication that they acquired from VeriSign. So within our coverage, Symantec has the most exposure to data security. There is a company that has filed to go public called Imperva. They do Web application firewall, database security and file security. So that's a little bit of more of what I would say is a pure play on data security.

The Wall Street Transcript is a unparalleled service for investors and industry researchers - providing fresh commentary and insight through verbatim interviews with CEOs and technology analysts. This special issue is available by calling 952-7433 or via The Wall Street Transcript Online.