SECURITY
Security software brand awareness low
28-08-2003
by
Despite a renewed focus on IT security, 28 percent of senior executives and IT managers in Ireland are unable to name a security software brand.
That finding is in the results of a research report from IDC, which polled 327 executives in Ireland. In terms of manufacturers, Symantec and its Norton brand were the most the recognised anti-virus software names, with 31 percent of respondents in the poll recalling the brands when asked about anti-virus software. In the number two slot was Network Associates and its McAfee brand with about 12 percent. Cisco, Check Point and Dr Solomon's scored 5.8 percent, 4.8 percent and 1.22 percent respectively.
The numbers seem to suggest that businesses aren't especially brand-conscience when it comes to e-security, despite the fact that most companies acknowledge that computer security is an important issue. Indeed the importance of cyber security became all the more obvious this month, with the likes of Blaster, Nachi and Sobig.F disputing hundreds of thousands computers and networks globally
IDC's own research indicated that most companies in Europe are willing to spend to protect their IT assets, with the European security software industry estimated to worth around USD2 billion in 2002. This year, the sector is set to grow by 15 percent, IDC said in a report earlier in August.
Unsurprisingly, some the biggest e-security software makers -- Symantec, Network Associates, Check Point, Computer Associates, IBM, and Trend Micro -- were among the companies that Irish buyers recognised first. IDC also found that these six companies accounted for more than 40 percent of the total 2002 European security software revenue.
And the hearty growth in the sector won't end this year. IDC is currently forecasting that the European market will grow to reach USD4.5 billion by 2007. The company says that anti-virus will stay strong but a particularly high growth area will be the administration, authorisation and authentication (3A) security market, which is forecast to increase by 14 percent until 2007.
Creating successful email surveys: Denise Cox of email specialist Newsweaver argues that you can tap into your readers' likes or dislikes by surveying them.
