Google Ogles the Security Market
As if Symantec didn't have enough to worry about with Microsoft appearing hell-bent
on yanking away some of its share in the security market, another billion-dollar
player now appears intent on doing the same: Google.
Earlier this month Google spent some $625
million to acquire Postini, a company specializing in Internet-based security
software for e-mailing and messaging. Google has also purchased
GreenBorder Technologies, which has an offering of security capabilities
that look a lot like Symantec's best-selling line of Norton software.
With both these companies now in hand, Google, some believe, will present end
user companies with an independently secured version of its Google Apps product,
which is a collection of hosted office tools that includes a spreadsheet and
e-mail program. Given that Google is a faster moving company than Microsoft,
Symantec should probably be paying close attention.
John W. Thompson, chairman and CEO of Symantec, said in a recent interview
with Redmond magazine that he was impressed with Google so far.
"They [Google] have done a terrific job. I was over there just last week
and I was amazed. They had a group of summer interns, three or four of these
kids who were Ph.D.s in mathematics and physics, who were interning at Google.
That feels to me what Microsoft was like 20 years ago," Thompson said.
Well, the environment may "feel" like Microsoft's did 20 years ago,
but -- and maybe more importantly, Mr. Thompson -- Google is looking and feeling
more like Microsoft today in terms of being another major competitor in your
back yard.
Symantec officials just this week said they plan to deliver their first hosted
security product, namely a data back-up application, by the end of this year,
which will be sold on a subscription basis. This, of course, is a model that
Google helped make popular.
VMware Stays Hot
Things are heating up at VMware. Just this week, company executives said they're
hosting meetings with investors as they get ready to take the virtualization
software maker through
its initial public offering -- an offering that's probably the most anticipated
one of the year.
Why? Well, the company's revenues are growing at an annual rate of 100 percent
a year, a clear indication that the broad-based market is finally locking into
the real purpose and value of virtualization software.
Perhaps another reason is that VMware has been a sterling example of how to
stand up and fight against Microsoft -- without leaving the ring feet-first
-- in a burgeoning market that Redmond seems very interested in.
For some time now, both developers and IT shops have been saying they prefer
VMware over the offerings of its three top competitors -- which include Microsoft,
Virtual Iron and XenWorks -- because the virtual machines they can build with
VMware programs can be moved much faster from one server to another, and because
many feel some of VMware's technology is a good year or two ahead of the competitors'.
Developers and users aren't the only ones who believe VMware is hot, hot, hot
right now. VMware just recently announced that both
Intel and Cisco Systems plan to invest in the company through private placements.
VMware's IPO road show, which started early this week, will continue for another
couple of weeks. Company officials are not talking about when the IPO will close.
Apparently, Exchange Recovery Can Be a Real Pain
Well, it appears the psychical pain of carrying out the backup and recovery
of Exchange can actually be quantified. FalconStor
Software, working jointly with Osterman
Research, recently surveyed IT professionals about problems with Exchange
data protection, with a focus on recovery in particular. About half of the IT
admins surveyed who carry out Exchange recovery said the procedure is almost
as stressful as being stuck in traffic when they're late for a meeting, or having
a cavity filled by the dentist.
Some of the survey's other findings -- probably not as colorful but perhaps
more useful -- about backup and recovery include:
- Most companies surveyed took more than two days to recover from an Exchange
system failure
- Some 77 percent say they need a simpler solution for recovery than what
they're currently using
- 70 percent of companies that responded said it takes them four hours a
day to do backups, with approximately 15 percent taking up to 12 hours a day
- Most organizations are backing up more than a terabyte of data a night
- Some 97 percent of IT admins want to significantly reduce the amount of
time it takes to do Exchange backups despite the fact they are already using
DISK for backup.
Another fun fact to emerge was that 78 percent of respondents already back
up to disk or VTL.
About the Author
Ed Scannell is the editor of Redmond magazine.