Competitors laud Cisco acquisition of Web-services accelerator

Vendors in the XML application–acceleration market seem to be applauding Cisco Systems Inc.’s acquisition of Reactivity Inc., this week, if only because it validates a broad-based need for appliances that can make complex Web-services based applications run efficiently.

Both analysts and vendors say application-acceleration is one of the hottest part of the networking market right now, as end-user companies try to simplify and accelerate their networks, even as they re-design applications to use those networks more heavily.

Vendors of services-oriented application (SOA) application development and management products say Cisco’s interest proves the need for speed, but also for security, as XML-based attacks increase.

To secure SOA applications, security vendors have to be able to deconstructe SOAP and other Web services protocols and work quickly and securely with the XML itself.

The full version of this story appeared on TechTarget sister site SearchWebServices.com.