The enterprise security market is changing rapidly and will continue to do so in the medium term. The fragmented state of the market, both in terms of vendors and solution offerings, is not sustainable and the industry will have to adapt to end-users’ demands and to market forces driving consolidation and integration.
In a new report, Datamonitor provides enterprises with a guide that can assist them in choosing a security partner to help them implement their primary security solutions before deploying secondary solutions from other vendors. The report reveals the top performing enterprise security vendors based on a quantitative assessment of their capabilities, end-user sentiment and the technology features that they offer.
Enterprise security includes all software, hardware and services that protect enterprise systems and information from unauthorized access and misuse. This also includes solutions that ensure enterprises are complying with regulations and that they are managing their IT security and user policy effectively.
For the purposes of this report, vendors’ comparative performance is measured in three key areas: end-user sentiment, market impact and technology. Key findings from the research reveal:
Symantec is the prime candidate for overall enterprise security leadership
Symantec’s broad security portfolio covers all major areas of enterprise security with the exception of identity and access management (I&AM). Symantec’s move towards IT systems management, through the Veritas merger and the Altiris acquisition, places it in a unique position to take advantage of the coming convergence of security and systems management.
Symantec is expected to continue developing its solutions and increase its focus on information protection and security management. Symantec is also aggressively growing its managed services and consulting operations.
McAfee has best technology and impressive strategy and outlook
McAfee is a joint leader in the enterprise security market with Symantec, and has a similar set of enterprise security offerings. McAfee’s focus is somewhat different though; it is less focused on breadth and more focused on catering for emerging user requirements. Examples of this include its early entry into the data loss prevention market ahead of other major security vendors, as well as its focus on network access control (NAC) and information protection, which are both rapidly emerging trends with strong potential.
IBM’s strength in systems management and application development will allow it to shape the security market
IBM is very strong in many areas of enterprise security, including security management and I&AM. But, more importantly, it is considered to be the leading systems management vendor and one of the most influential infrastructure and application development vendors. This position allows IBM to heavily influence many aspects of the security market and the standards that govern this market.
IBM is expected to integrate more and more security into its Rational and Tivoli lines and thus accelerate the trend of embedded security. IBM also looks likely to lead the way in areas of current strategic importance to enterprises, such as change and configuration management and risk and policy management.
