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今天上午一个业界的大新闻，存储大厂EMC以21亿美元的价格购并传统安全厂商RSA，以实现EMC五个10亿美元业务的宏伟目标（VMware, Content Management, Resource Management, Storage Virtualization, and Security），而声誉甚隆的业界传奇 RSA 成为其 安全业务的 桥头堡。相信这起购并后也为北京的安全人才提供了一个新的目的地。 :)  另外，这起购并与前些时候 Symantec购并 Veritas 相应成趣，两大存储厂商一个被安全公司买，一个买了安全公司，效果和目标都是One-Stop。前事不远啊：Novell收购eSecurity，Oracle收购Oblix和Thor，CA收购Netegrity，HP收购SelecAccess.......。还会有很多重量级的安全业界收购出现在大家的视野里。

 

关于此次EMC收购RSA的外电报导查看News.com的新闻报导。下面是IDC评论的一段摘抄：

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EMC to Acquire RSA Security: Bets on Authenticated Information Access

EMC's agreement to acquire RSA Security is part of Chairman, CEO, and President Joseph Tucci's plan to grow five new billion-dollar businesses: VMware, Content Management, Resource Management, Storage Virtualization, and Security. When asked during the announcement call why he chose acquisition over an OEM relationship, Mr. Tucci said, if he didn't buy RSA, the company "wouldn't be around." What was behind this statement was EMC's belief that, if RSA was acquired by a competitor, the acquirer would not be a good and willing partner for EMC.

For this security opportunity, EMC has chosen not to mimic the VMware model of independence from EMC, which has allowed VMware to maintain strong partnerships with EMC's biggest competitors. One question that remains open is whether RSA Security, as an integrated division of EMC, can continue to be a good partner to those companies that are competitors of EMC. One proof point to which EMC might logically point is Legato, which maintains partnership relationships with HP, IBM and Sun, among many others.

In EMC's view of the world, the RSA Security technology is key to providing granular, authenticated access to encrypted information. EMC is making a big bet that companies will choose integrated authentication and cryptographic capabilities from a single information management supplier over a more modular, multi-supplier approach with independent storage, information management, identity management and encryption solutions. The hope is that customers will pay more for a storage solution that can deliver an integrated set of capabilities, and that some potential competitors will be eliminated from bids, because they lack an integrated solution.

Assessment, design and implementation services are key prerequisites to delivering complex solutions. In this light, EMC, with thousands of systems engineers, clearly augments the more-limited professional services capabilities of RSA Security. The two companies also share many important customers in a variety of industries, including financial services and telecommunications. The acquisition also augments EMC's strategy of developing solutions that meet the needs of small businesses, though we believe the greatest leverage from RSA Security will be in providing technology to the service providers for small businesses, rather than selling low-end solutions direct to small businesses.

At a cost of almost $2.1 billion, EMC acknowledges that the purchase price was a healthy premium on 2005 revenue of $310 million. The 2006 revenue target of $375 million is highly dependent upon maintaining revenue from current partners, since the acquisition will not close until late 3rd quarter or early in the 4th quarter of this calendar year. Many financial analysts were clearly skeptical regarding the advisability of the acquisition. Mr. Tucci, on the other hand, views the acquistion as key to the company's ability to continue double-digit growth and differentiate from the competition. He closed the call with the bold statement, "We will not let you down."

Given the early stages of many companies today as it relates to storage, information, encryption and identity management, we believe that EMC's view of an integrated solution, while perhaps directionally correct, will require many years to reach reality. For EMC to achieve its security revenue estimate of $500 million in 2007, EMC must not only leverage its direct sales force, but find a way to maintain and grow partnerships, even with the company's biggest storage and information management competitors.