Industry watchers said that it is too early to determine if the Symantec-Vontu marriage is successful but observed that things appear to be going well for the companies, thus far.

The security market leader is unlikely to alter Vontu's technology or marketing message dramatically as long as the existing products continue to sell, and there should be plenty of opportunities to offer both standalone DLP and a wide array of integrated products, said Rich Mogull, analyst with Securosis.

"The ball is in Symantec's court. It's still too early to say how it will work out, but they've kept the Vontu management team intact, which is a good sign," Mogull said. "I haven't seen anything to show that it isn't going well, but I still want to know where they will be in this process in 12 to 18 months' time."

Regarding the startup's technology, Mogull said that some elements of Vontu's DLP system will likely end up used more heavily in other Symantec products, but he said that the company will have an opportunity to market other pieces as individual tools.

"The sensor points like the desktop agent will likely become throwaways and simply be included in other products, but the core functions of building policies and managing workflow for violations will remain a standalone solution," the analyst said.

"It's important to remember that guys who deal with anti-virus alerts and firewalls policies are very different than types of workflow and violations that people deal with around DLP," said Mogull. "So, even if parts get integrated into other products, the core management product will be there for DLP and will be a good market opportunity."

The analyst said that the strongest remaining independent DLP vendors should have plenty of opportunities to generate revenue and seek potential buyouts, but he contends that Vontu was likely best suited to find a parent with Symantec's massive footprint.

"Anyone who gets the exit they want is lucky these days, but there are still a lot of opportunities in DLP. There will be more mergers and acquisitions, and some standalones that can survive," Mogull said. "But, to go it alone, they will have to grow to do more than DLP as we know it. The DLP of today will eventually go away, but there should be a lot of opportunities around content monitoring and protection."