JMP Securities Analyst On IBM, Oracle Rumored Interest In FireEye: FireEye Is Certainly Of Interest To Any Of The Major Technology Providers

Speaking to Benzinga, JMP Securities Analyst Erik Suppiger said that while he was not aware of the rumor coming from Dealreporter suggesting that both International Business Machines Corp. IBM and Oracle Corporation ORCL are interested in FireEye Inc FEYE, he would not rule it out. 

“I would say FireEye is certainly of interest to any of the major technology providers,” he said.

Because the competitive landscape is moving so quickly, Suppiger said that he also wouldn’t rule out FireEye considering a sale. He explained that the market is getting a lot of investments from startups, pure plays and broad-solution providers.

“So, FireEye has distinct advantages, but I don’t know that I would rule out them considering strategic alternatives to try to give themselves a broader platform to work from,” he said.

While IBM might be the better immediate fit for FireEye, Suppiger pointed out that Oracle has clearly demonstrated an interest in security.