The security industry is not consolidating.
Usually from a trade show you can get a feel for "the next big thing". That is not true for RSA. In security the vendors fighting the next threat are start-ups. They have not matured to the point were they can appear at RSA. Of course there is innovation and product enhancement everywhere on the show floor but no indication of the new players that will be there next year. Why is security as an industry different from all others?
I'll tell you. Security is not an application. CRM, ERP, PC Gaming, these are all applications. As the industry matures giants emerge that buy up the little players to gain market share and broaden their portfolio.
The auto industry converged once. GM was formed to suck up a bunch of nameplates. The cell phone industry converged and looks to be heading towards just one or two players in the US. ERP converged to about two players last year.
Why doesn’t the security industry converge? No matter how many technology purchases Symantec, Cisco, CA or Microsoft make, the fastest growing, best of breed companies are always independent. Remember when Network Associates was formed? Network General, plus McAffee plus TIS (Gauntlet) were a sign of “industry consolidation