Security thanks

Thanksgiving is upon us and it is time to give thanks to a few vendors that have had a big impact on security in 2007. Surprisingly, most of the good security stories in 2007 have come from the major business infrastructure vendors, and not from the pure-play security community. This makes sense as integrating security and compliance into business processes are now topics for C-suite boardroom discussion. Here are my top 5 picks for thanks, presented alphabetically:

Cisco evangelizes integrating security into the network, with switch-based firewall and VPN services leading the way. My thanks to Cisco may surprise some people who know I believe NAC is a train-wreck, but I do like the old Perfigo NAC Appliance and the Great Bay acquisition. I also believe that Ironport is well on its way to doing great things in 2008.

Citrix application virtualization has traditionally allowed users to do their jobs while leaving sensitive information safe and sound in a secure datacenter. After plunking down $500 million for XenSource, Citrix gets huge leverage towards innovations in application delivery.

Intel is making significant progress with its Virtualization Technology programs, especially in driving software vendors towards trusted execution and advanced management capabilities. The hardware-enforced security and performance improvements may prove to be disruptive for endpoint security.

Trend Micro is the only major security vendor I give thanks for. Trend is quietly growing its business with strong capabilities in endpoint protection and email security. The Provilla DLP technology acquisition is right out of the Microsoft model of incorporating new features into a product to make it easier for customers.

Small privately held vendors that keep trying! These folks are a breath of fresh air with new ideas and big dreams. I enjoy talking with every one from BeyondTrust privilege management, BioPassword authentication, to Brabeion risk management. And those are just some of the B's!

I do like the promises of IBM, McAfee, and Microsoft but I have to reserve judgment until 2008 for them. I'll come back in a few days to put a few forks into some 2007 security turkeys.

Until then, have a terrific Thanksgiving!