IT Minute: Cisco's Richard Palmer

Question #1: As you look out over the security landscape over the next 24 months, do you see dramatic things happening, or are we in a period of slow, evolutionary growth?

Question #2: There are a number of major firewall vendors out there which specialize in firewall products. Why would a company look to Cisco for security rather than going with one of these major companies?

Question #3: There are a lot of customers who don't see Cisco as a security company, why is that?

Question #4: When you talk to end user companies, it's hard to see security as anything but an expense. With companies still in a mode of watching their expenses closely, is there a good argument against using the absolute lowest cost vendor in security?

Question #5: Where do security standards fit in at Cisco, both to the company's way of thinking and to how customers think about security?

Question #6: The history of our industry is that standards collaboration and certification have often been tools of upstarts rather than the property of established industry leaders. So what compels Cisco to keep participating in broader industry standards?

Question #7: Do security groups want to keep security and systems management separate, or do they want a single management practice for both?

Question #8: Do you foresee a day when employers start requiring employees to utilize a company-approved firewall at home to make sure the company's laptops aren't compromised in a home environment?

Question #9: As security becomes more important, to what extent do you see IT security (network security) being integrated into overall organizational security practices (including physical security)?