New Report From Independent Research Firm Names IBM a "Leader" in Managed Security Services

ARMONK, NY .-IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that its Managed Security Services (MSS) division has been recognized as a “leader” in a new report from Forrester Research, Inc., entitled “Forrester Wave(TM): Managed Security Services for Q4 2007.” The report evaluated 10 different managed security services vendors based on 56 criteria including product and service offerings, market presence and strategy.

According to the report, “IBM is a leader in MSS with excellent offerings and a solid strategy.” The report goes on to say that, “with a large range of capabilities as well as established security expertise and technologies -- many gained from IBM’s recent acquisition of [Internet Security Systems] ISS -- IBM occupies a very strong position in the MSS market.”

In The Forrester Wave™ Vendor Summary, Q4 2007 for IBM, Forrester states that IBM “offers the only cash-back warranty among MSS providers -- backed by its decade of security experience -- and boasts strong messaging with its ’Next-Generation Virtual SOC.’ The company also has strong threat intelligence capabilities -- provided by IBM X-Force Threat Analysis Service (XFTAS) -- implementation abilities, and a very strong portal strategy.” The report further states IBM is “an especially good fit for buyers that are looking for very strong threat intelligence... and require fast, straightforward implementation.”

In a separate report, The Forrester Wave: Security Consulting, Q3 2007, IBM’s Professional Security Services (PSS) division was recognized as a “strong performer with a solid customer base.” According to the report, “IBM has one of the biggest security consulting practices in the market, with a robust partner ecosystem and a solid customer base across all global regions... Companies seeking in-depth technical expertise to help with security projects involving large-scale integration efforts should strongly consider IBM.”

According to Forrester, “The reputation ISS held in the industry as a security expert and advocate is extending to IBM.” Forrester’s MSS report also points out that, moving forward, “managed security services will tie more closely to wider business goals like infrastructure transformation and IT risk management.”

“As the market continues to shift towards this model, IBM is confident that it will remain a strong managed security services leader by tightly weaving security services into its comprehensive portfolio of products and services designed to help companies simplify IT processes and mitigate risk,” said Carolyn Schreiber, director of business line management for IBM Internet Security Systems. “IBM’s global resources, unique preemptive security technology and deep expertise make us an ideal business partner for customers seeking to reduce risk, lower the cost of security management, improve system uptime and performance, and more readily comply with federal, state and industry security regulations.”

“Companies are continuing to embrace technologies that allow them to work smarter, faster and more fluidly -- and attackers are becoming even more stealthy in their ways -- causing the need for security to grow exponentially,” said Rick Miller, director of Managed Security Services Operations for IBM ISS. “Add to that the increasingly rigorous compliance demands being placed on organizations across vertical markets, and there isn’t an Internet-connected company in the world that can really afford to skimp on security. IBM Managed Security Services are highly scalable and are designed to help reduce security complexities and improve operational compliance for organizations of all types and sizes.”

Through its MSS group, IBM ISS offers a comprehensive range of services for various IBM and third-party security technologies including firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems, unified threat management (UTM), security event and log management, vulnerability management, e-mail, data and Web security. Managed Security Services complement the IBM ISS product line -- a multi-layered security solution designed to provide preemptive protection from network- and host-based attacks before they impact business assets. As security increasingly becomes a crucial need for organizations of all sizes across industries, IBM is firmly committed to continuing to innovate and enhance its security portfolio to help keep customers ahead of the latest threats.

For additional information on IBM security services, please go to: http://www.ibm.com/services/security