"Juniper is not fighting to replace the top security vendor"

With security of enterprise networks becoming the prime concern for any CIO,
there is intense competition among the network security solution providers. Abby
Tang, Juniper's enterprise solution marketing manager, Asia-Pacific, spoke on
the security trends and why Juniper is not fighting for the top slot in the
market. Excerpts:

With IP being incorporated in the enterprise networks, what are the
security concerns?

Security and delivery assurance of networks are two most important
considerations for enterprises today. Security is the biggest concern for the
CIOs and this becomes even more important for IP-based networks. The situation
gets further complicated with wireless and remote access of the networks.
Security has to be thought of when infrastructure is being planned and build.
Access control should be incorporated at the application layer itself.
Application control is key to security in IP-based wireless access scenarios.
SSL-VPN is the first step towards remote access security. Persons accessing the
application have to be controlled. Anything from outside should be treated as
untrusted and insecure.

Abby Tang

Things like IPSec clients further bring in management and service issues. So
every enterprise has to evaluate and consider what its requirements are and
which technology or solutions fits them best. Just flowing with the trend is not
enough.

Are integrated box solutions for security of the network feasible?

Integration is the trend globally and is the keyword making the rounds.
Integrated boxes come cheap and being a single box solution, they are easy to
manage. However, it must be remembered that one size does not fits all.
Enterprises have to choose and be selective. The CIO must look at the reaction
time to attack. We must remember that slight lapse in security would compromise
the network. Juniper is partnering with companies like Trend Micro for best of
breed solutions.

Also, integrated boxes might be successful in the small branch offices, where
single-point failures would not matter much. But in bigger offices, risks of
single-point failure are very high. Thus, it is easier to break-up the security
solutions, and make trouble-shooting a lot easier too.

Will the gap between the market leader and second position in the network
security business narrow?

Juniper is not fighting to replace the top security vendor. Our strategy is
to provide quality service and solutions through our partners like Avaya and
Extreme. There are various aspects to acquiring a huge market share. Some
companies sell because they are big and some sell because they are cheap. We
have been acquiring small companies to provide value to our customers. Netscreen
acquisition was one such move. And, our acquisitions have been small as they are
easy to digest.

What about virtualization and outsourcing of security management?

In Asia-Pacific, virtualization is becoming a trend. However, whether to
choose virtualization or not is a very enterprise-specific issue. There is not
doubt that outsourcing the management of security solutions is a big trend too.
India is price-sensitive market, tough on negotiations. But this sometimes makes
companies compromise on security solutions.

Anurag Prasad