* Quest acquires another Active Directory tools vendor
The hottest part of Windows networking these days is Active Directory. The upcoming R2 update for Windows Server 2003 is fairly ho-hum – except for the identity management parts tied to Active Directory (see “Running Microsoft’s R2 up a flagpole,” link below). As a result, third party companies that offer Active Directory-enabled products are ripe for acquisition.
Quest software has been acquiring Active Directory related third-party vendors for almost five years in a shopping spree that includes Fastlane and Aelita (see http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/nt/2004/0209nt2.html). So it came as no surprise when Quest announced last week plans to acquire Vintela, a company best known for tools that enable single sign-on to Windows, Unix, Linux and Java-based desktops via the auspices of Active Directory (see http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/nt/2004/0726nt1.html).
Vintela’s extension of simplified sign-on to various non-Windows platforms certainly helped move the deal forward, but I believe that it was other parts of the Vintela product offerings that really made the deal.
Quest, even before becoming enamored of Active Directory related technologies, was in the business of platform management, where “platform” means not only operating system but also applications (PeopleSoft, Oracle E-Business Suite, Siebel, SAP, and custom Web applications built with J2EE) and databases (Oracle, SQL Server, DB2, MySQL, and Sybase). Active Directory, as simply an instance of a specialized database, was really a natural progression for Quest.
Vintela, after integrating sign-on among various non-Microsoft platforms had recently moved on to other integration products – notably Vintela Group Policy, which extends Windows’ Group Policy management to Linux and Unix platforms. The newest products leverage Microsoft’s Systems Management Server (SMS) by extending management to Unix, Linux and other non-Microsoft platforms.
Quest, a management company with a strong appetite for Active Directory management, and Vintela, a company extending the reach of Active Directory with an appetite for management, seem – in retrospect – like a natural match.
Some mergers and acquisitions never quite assimilate. Some take so long to mesh, that any benefits of the merger are lost along the way. But Quest has an excellent track record of providing continuity of acquired products while at the same time integrating them with its existing product line. One look at Quest’s existing lineup of Active Directory offerings (https://wm.quest.com/products/ActiveDirectory/) – almost all of which were acquired or are based on acquired technology – shows that the company isn’t in the business of acquiring customer lists but is actively seeking out new ways to create real benefit for networks, network users and – very importantly – network managers. Also, look at Quest’s offerings for Exchange, SQLServer and more general Windows management.
This merger should be good for everybody – including you, the network manager.
