Analyst calls Barracuda-Purewire deal proof of cloud dominance

Forrester analyst calls Barracuda’s acquisition of Purewire proof that cloud computing has gone mainstream.

Barracuda announced its acquisition of Purewire on Tuesday and so far at least one analyst has been caught by surprise. Chenxi Wang of Forrester Research said Barracuda seemed skeptical of cloud-based model of delivering security services during one recent briefing.

Despite having deep pockets, it’s unclear if Barracuda was the right partner for Purewire. In a blog entry Wang said it’s unknown if Barracuda has the ability to execute on its plans to ingegrate Purewire. She said Barracuda will still largely be an appliance vendor, since it will take time to iron out the changes needed to deliver services from the cloud.

Switching from selling appliances to selling services is a non-trivial change. Distribution partners who are used to pushing boxes have to be re-trained to sell services. Incentive models have to be changed to entice them to sell services, or new distribution partners have to be acquired. Barracuda will do well to bring in more experienced personnel in service marketing and sales.