Nemertes Impact Analysis:

Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) is acquiring privately held Scansafe. Scansafe offers web and message security as a service. Cisco joins privately held Barracuda Networks (recently acquired Purewire), Symantec (NASDAQ:SYMC) (MessageLabs) and McAfee (NYSE:MFE) (Webwasher) to offer web security in the cloud.

With Nearly 16% of enterprise users already mobile, cloud-based web security is particularly beneficial for security and management of these users. Cloud-based web security reduces overhead and simplifies networking by eliminating the need to backhaul web connections through the enterprise security gateway. Cisco’s planned integration of Scansafe with its Ironport product line has the potential to provide seamless management of web security – on-premise and cloud - for mobile and fixed users.

Impacts:

Enterprises: Evaluate cloud-based web security for your mobile users.

Vendors: IBM (NYSE:IBM), Juniper (NASDAQ:JNPR) and Trend Micro (OTC:TMICY) need a pure web security as a service solution.

Investors: Acquisitions are likely: Privately held Webroot and Zscaler, and Websense (NASDAQ:WBSN).

-Ted Ritter, senior research analyst

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