FBR Capital Markets Analyst On IBM, Oracle Rumored Interest In FireEye: 'We Expect A Lot More Consolidation Over The Next Year In The Sector'

When asked about the Dealreporter rumor that both International Business Machines Corp. IBM and Oracle Corporation ORCL are interested in FireEye Inc FEYE, FBR Capital Markets Senior Analyst Daniel Ives told Benzinga he expects a lot more consolidation in the sector over the next year.

He said that FireEye, among other cybersecurity companies, remains attractive as potential acquisition targets.

Traditional technology companies like IBM, Oracle, SAP and others are having trouble accelerating growth, Ives explained, so they need “more fuel in the engine” in areas like cybersecurity and big data.

“I think we’re kind of going into a massive potential phase of consolidation just within a lot of these spaces as these large, traditional tech stalwarts look for growth,” he said.

On the subject about whether or not FireEye would want to be sold, Ives pointed out that CEO David DeWalt has sold other companies of his, including McAfee and Documentum.