Could Sygate Get Snapped Up?

SAN FRANCISCO -- Vendors of software that can control security devices from a range of suppliers are attracting a lot of attention at this years RSA Conference, and startup Sygate Technologies, Inc. could be a potential target for one of the major security players, according to analysts.

Sygate, along with a handful of other companies, offers an emerging technology known as Network Admission Control (NAC). Essentially, this is a software that enforces security policies across a range of devices such as firewalls and switches. The technology can also coordinate anti-virus, spyware, and denial-of-service products from a number of vendors.

So, why is this so important? Phebe Waterfield, security solutions analyst at Yankee Group believes that users face a major challenge coordinating a mish-mash of existing security products; hence the need for a technology to bring them all together. “There’s so much disparate software at the endpoint that we have bought to combat the (security) threat,” says Waterfield. “NAC is going to be a big thing this year.”

To make matters worse, the advent of remote working means that businesses face the headache of securing vulnerable devices, such as home computers or even PCs in an internet café. ”I could see why Sygate could get bought, because there is a lot of interest in endpoint security,” says Jon Oltsik, senior analyst at the Enterprise Strategy Group.

Pete Lindstrom, analyst at Spire Security, agrees. “Sygate I think is a good prospect,” he says. “They are actively generating revenue and they are getting a lot of good feedback from folks.”