The IT security market is moving faster than almost any area of technology. The churn of new companies popping up and existing companies getting acquired or disappearing can be seen by comparing a Magic Quadrant with the previous year's version. The ever-changing threat is the major driver for this hyperactivity.

Every security professional needs a list of the vendors used, including open-source projects. Don't just do due diligence with new vendors. Do a vendor check when you are renewing support or upgrading a product, and ensure that you check the status of all your vendors at a regular frequency. Have any vendors been acquired? Are they suddenly cool? Having problems with product vulnerabilities? Talking to their other customers about end of life for a product before there's a formal announcement?

We can help you with this - don't hesitate to call or e-mail us on the status of any IT security vendor before making a purchase or renewing a big-ticket support agreement. At a minimum, you may want to do this before your annual internal budget setting.