InformationWeek

ne of the toughest jobs for information security professionals is getting real-time information about what's actually happening across their company networks. While many security tools such as firewalls, intrusion-detection, and antivirus software come equipped with their own management consoles, none provides a single view of events along the network perimeter, such as attempts to crack into the corporate server and a listing of viruses that are infecting the E-mail system. That's about to change, several security vendors say.

Internet Security Systems Inc. and Symantec Corp. are creating management systems that will work across their product lines and eventually help monitor security products from competitors and other security vendors.

Later this year, ISS plans to ship RealSecure Fusion Console, which company executives say will cull data from various security databases, including those that store information about Web servers, operating systems, and intrusion-detection systems. The goal is to help companies consolidate the number of management consoles they monitor.

ISS competitor Symantec is integrating its antivirus, intrusion-detection, and firewall software so each can report events to a single console. Rob Clyde, chief technology officer for Symantec, says the company will offer such functionality in the next few months.

Both companies are basing their initiatives largely on recent acquisitions. Next month, ISS should complete its $195 million acquisition of desktop intrusion-detection software vendor Network Ice Corp., which will help ISS expand its reach to the desktop. Last summer, in a bid to move into the corporate security market, Symantec bought firewall, virtual private network, and intrusion-detection software maker Axent Technologies Inc. for $975 million.

Analysts welcome the move toward consolidated reporting. "Anything that the vendors can do to simplify security reporting is a good thing," says Forrester Research analyst Frank Prince.

Customers agree. "If a vendor's security software makes sense for your enterprise, and they can also consolidate the number of consoles that need to be monitored," says John Hartmann, VP of security for Dublin, Ohio, pharmaceutical firm Cardinal Health Inc., "that could be a significant time and cost savings."