Cybersecurity survey points to demand slowdown, says Jefferies

Jefferies tells investors that the firm’s survey of value added resellers who specialize in the cyber industry indicates a slowdown in demand in calendar Q1 compared to Q4, adding that pipeline optimism for the next three months was “the lowest ever in our survey history.” Network security showed the strongest sector performance in the survey and Check Point (CHKP) also saw the best-improved momentum quarter-over-quarter, the analyst added. When asked whom they thought was the most likely to win the machine identity security market and who they expected to see the biggest benefit to their business from it, Microsoft (MSFT) was “the clear winner” among respondents, while CyberArk (CYBR) and SailPoint (SAIL) followed in second and third positions, which validates the firm’s view that CyberArk remains in the lead for pureplay identity vendors, the analyst also noted.