Gartner Says Worldwide Security Software Market On Pace To Grow 8 Percent In 2009

PRESS RELEASE

Egham, UK, 21 September 2009 " The worldwide security software market will total $14.5 billion in 2009, an 8 per cent increase from 2008, according to Gartner, Inc. In 2008, it grew at 19 per cent, and Gartner anticipates the market to grow 13 per cent in 2010 as revenue will total $16.3 billion. In Europe, the security software market will total 3.2 billion in 2009, representing 7 per cent growth from 2008. "Although the worldwide security software market is affected by the economic downturn, the growth will continue to be strong in 2009 as security remains a critical area where drastic cuts cannot be afforded," said Ruggero Contu, principal research analyst at Gartner. "In the medium term, the greatest growth opportunities will come from software as a service (SaaS), appliance based offering and small and medium businesses (SMBs), which are in security catch-up mode compared with large companies and therefore spend a higher percentage of their budgets on security." In 2009, consumer security will remain the largest segment (in terms of total software revenue) in the security software market, representing 25 per cent of the total market. Gartner estimates it will account for $3.6 billion, growing 4 per cent in 2009. The enterprise security software market formed by a number of segments such as endpoint protection platform, email security boundary and user provisioning is predicted to account for $10.9 billion, reaching 9 per cent growth in 2009. "The security software market in 2008 was characterised by a high level of consolidation with the examples of Mc Afee purchasing Secure Computing, Symantec and Sophos acquiring MessageLabs and Ultimaco, respectively. This is a sector where further consolidation is expected in the near future," said Mr Contu. "End-users are gradually moving to better-integrated multi-products, particularly in areas such as endpoint security and identity and access management. Vendors offering good integration in an already established and trusted technology partnership will be best-placed for success, as buyers prefer to deal with two or more vendors that already trust each other's software and practices." Additional information is available in the Gartner report "Market Trends: Security Markets, Worldwide, 2007-2013." The report is available on Gartner's website at http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?ref=g_search&id=1107215&subref=simplesearch. Gartner analysts will provide more detailed analysis on the key issues facing the information security industry at the Gartner Information Security Summit 2009, taking place 21-22 September, at the Royal Lancaster hotel in London. Gartner analysts, industry experts and IT security practitioners will deliver unbiased, realistic analysis of the current state of information security, as well as an independent vision of how things will evolve over the long term. For complete event details, please visit the Gartner Information Security Summit 2009 website at www.europe.gartner.com/security. Members of the media can register by contacting Holly Stevens at [email protected]. About Gartner Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world's leading information technology research and advisory company. Gartner delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, Gartner is the indispensable partner to 60,000 clients in 10,000 distinct organizations. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, Gartner works with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A., and has 4,000 associates, including 1,200 research analysts and consultants in 80 countries. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.