Cybersecurity Titans: Fortinet, Cisco, and CyberArk Set for Decade-Long Growth

Why Fortinet, Cisco and CyberArk look set to grow

At a glance

• Fortinet builds its pitch around security-driven networking and custom chips, and investors expect steady growth.
• Cisco uses its huge networking footprint to sell security products to existing customers.
• CyberArk leads in identity security, especially privileged access management.

Why investors watch security stocks

Companies depend on their networks to operate. Some depend on them to survive. That makes security spending hard to cut, and it has drawn investors to the sector, where three names come up again and again: Fortinet, Cisco and CyberArk.

Fortinet: networking and security in one box

Fortinet sells what it calls security-driven networking, built around its FortiGate firewalls. Custom chips are the trick. Its own security processors run advanced features at a lower cost than many rivals can manage on general-purpose hardware, which lets it offer fast security across wired and wireless networks.

Fortinet combines network security and performance in one platform, which suits companies that are spreading their networks across offices, clouds and remote workers. Fortune Business Insights expects its growth to continue as that shift goes on.

Cisco: selling security to its networking base

Cisco is best known for networking gear, and it has spent heavily to become a major security vendor too. Its portfolio runs from network security appliances to cloud security services, which appeals to enterprises that want fewer suppliers.

Acquisitions and research spending have strengthened Cisco’s position in zero trust security and threat analytics. Splunk was the big one. Cisco now pitches itself as a partner in stopping threats early rather than a hardware seller.

CyberArk: guarding privileged accounts

Identity is now central to security, and CyberArk is a leader there. It specializes in privileged access management (PAM), protecting the admin accounts attackers most want to steal. With so many breaches starting from stolen credentials, demand for its products keeps rising.

Analysts point to steady demand for access controls and to CyberArk’s habit of adding new products. Growth should continue. More organizations now treat PAM as a basic requirement, often because auditors and cyber insurers ask for it.

Three different bets on security spending

Demand for security keeps rising, and these three companies cover different parts of it: network security, broad enterprise platforms and identity. Good long-term bets? Investors think so, though each faces tough competition, and results over the next few years will show whether that confidence holds.

Dan Evert, CCNP

Dan Evert is a self proclaimed Router Jockey. Dan got heavily involved in networking right out of high school and has never looked back! Dan is giving back by working with high school students to get them involved and interested in Networking and Security.