Earlier this week, EMC kicked off the new year (and new decade) with an acquisition when it announced that it was buying Archer Technologies. Archer is a provider of Governance, Risk, and Compliance software based in Kansas, USA.

On the surface, the deal may seem small and relatively simple. Archer adds GRC depth to the RSA security portfolio. True, but over time, Archer provides a few other strategic opportunities for:

1. An enterprise GRC architecture. RSA will integrate Archer and enVision into a multi-tiered architecture. The bottom tier will be log management (i.e. data collection, processing, and storage). The middle tier will be data services (i.e. middleware-like functionality including data translation, transaction services, etc.). The upper tier will be dedicated to data analysis. This analysis is dedicated to security and compliance today but it could be used for network operations, capacity planning, and business queries in the future.
2. Strategic services. With Archer in tow, RSA becomes one of a few vendors who can help companies align security and compliance with business processes. Yes, this will drive product sales but it will also help EMC create valuable strategic services and capture lots more services revenue.
3. A bridge to IT Service Management. Aside from security and compliance, EMC is also pushing hard into ITSM with its Ionix product line. EMC will integrate Archer and RSA together,  linking log management with the CMDB as well as change, patch, and configuration management. In this way, Ionix can help enterprises automate compliance and security management response.

EMC has work to do here as it must integrate disparate software together, articulate a clear roadmap, and teach its aggressive turnkey sales force how to sell strategic software and services solutions. If the company can execute on these tasks, it can turn Archer from a tactical acquisition into a critical part of a powerful strategy.

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Tags: Archer Technologies, EMC, GRC, ITSM, RSA Security