CompTIA Study Finds Market For Security Solutions Is Expanding

By Ally Kutz, contributing writer

With threats and attacks becoming more dynamic, changing rapidly, and targeting with greater efficiency, firms are looking to change their tactics, according to a CompTIA study Trends in Information Security.

In the market overview of the report, CompTIA cites Gartner, which expects the total revenue for global security to be $71.1 billion, driven, in part, by increased cyberattacks. Of those surveyed, 54 percent of firms cite the growing organization of hackers, 52 percent cite the sophistication of threats, and 48 percent cite the greater availability of hacking tools as all carrying serious implications.

The report also looks at challenges to security. More than half of those surveyed (52 percent) say security has been complicated by greater interconnectivity. When incorporating cloud computing and mobile technological solutions, firms extend their security perimeter and in turn create new security considerations, all of which complicate security. According to those surveyed, legacy security systems are not able to protect this new perimeter, allowing for security threats to become more prevalent. Also, the survey reveals lost devices are no longer the sole mobile security threat; 31 percent of those surveyed have had employees disable security features on devices and 30 percent have experienced mobile malware.

Of the changes being made to security systems, Data loss prevention (DLP) is cited as most common among new tools, being used by 58 percent of companies. Identify and access management (IAM) and security information and event management (SIEM) also rank high, with 57 percent and 49 percent reporting using these systems, respectively.

Section 5 of the report deals specifically with channel dynamics. Key points in this section include the fact that most channel firms offer security as a part of other offerings, rather than a standalone product or service. CompTIA points out as security needs continue to evolve, this could be an opportunity to offer security in new ways. The survey reveals one-third of channel firms say they offer Security-as-a-Service or managed security services. The survey also shows about half of channel firms receive no inquiries or take no action as a result of a major security breach.

CompTIA suggests there is a great deal of opportunity to discuss security with your clients and help them proactively address vulnerabilities.

For more information and details of the full report, click here.