By silicon.com, 7 March 2005 17:40
With news that SurfControl has made the leap into anti-spyware, through the purchase of Apreo, we can strike off another acquisition target in the security space where firms with spyware know-how have been particularly hot property.
Patrick Jolly, president EMEA of SurfControl, told silicon.com the pros and cons of whether to "build, partner or buy" were weighed up (we're guessing for all of about five minutes... or possibly a touch longer) before the decision was made to splash the cash.
Largely because the move offered an almost overnight time-to-market.
The "build" option tends to be considerably slower.
But it's a route many firms will soon have to start embracing. Like a piece of paper can only be folded in half seven times, the security industry can only see a finite amount of doubling up.
Jolly was happy to have jumped on the bandwagon through acquisition and expressed an opinion that many of his company's rivals won't be so lucky or enjoy such an immediate route to market.
"I think those who don't have an anti-spyware solution in place now will have one soon," he said. "But it's looking increasingly likely they will have to build it themselves."
And the problem there is that security, like good comedy, is all about timing.
"Lots of companies are going to try to ride the anti-spyware wave as they rode the anti-spam wave," said Jolly.
But if they aren't building it already and they haven't grabbed themselves a partner or acquisition target by now are they going to end up like the odd number at the school dance drinking cola in the corner while the slow dances play?
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