If you accept that security is a process, and if you can eliminate the human interaction or intervention in that process by automating more, that is a good thing.

But what Web services suggest is that the connection is always there between an application that is resident somewhere in the cloud, and a user who is somewhere on the other end of a connection.

The U.S. and Israel probably lead the way in terms of venture investment in technologies companies focused on the security paradigm. That is quite encouraging.

Well we have a good working relationship with Microsoft at the development level. But let's not kid ourselves, this is a company with enormous resources and talented people, and there is a certain pride that comes along with that for them and for us.

Second issue is the rapidly accelerating increase in the number of vulnerabilities that get discovered every day. And, equally importantly, is the shortening of time between the discovery of the vulnerability and the release of an exploit.

One of the things that has been truly incredible to observe though, is the amount of venture investment that has gone into early stage security technology.

What we are seeing now is customers shifting their attention from security products like firewalls and intrusion sensors, to the policies that need to be in place, and the technologies that help them enforce policy compliance.