Information is certainly power, which is one of the reasons it’s so valuable. As your company focuses more of its investments on gathering, storing and using information, you’ll also have to pay attention to protecting that information. The demand for application deployment continues to grow in this space, especially as Big Data takes a stronger foothold.
This foothold is driving the demand for increased spending to protect this information. According to recent data published by Gartner (News - Alert), worldwide spending on information security is expected to reach $71.1 billion this year, an increase of almost eight percent over last year. Similar growth is expected in 2015.
Gartner suggested that the increased use of cloud, mobile and social services will continue to drive the need for new security technology through 2016. Security threats are also proliferating as malware and infrastructure are more readily accessible to launch targeted attacks. These new threats are at least known so that defenses can be developed to protect current networks and application deployment.
Likewise, the information security industry is expanding as there is a greater need to improve effectiveness, especially when it comes to better understanding current threats through the use of contextual information and other available security intelligence. Plus, companies need to better understand delivery methods now that the cloud is becoming a popular channel for accessing and storing information.
According to Gartner, roughly 10 percent of all IT security for enterprises will be delivered through the cloud by 2015. For small and medium businesses, this number is expected to be closer to 30 percent. As increased regulatory pressure surrounding data privacy and compliance continues to emerge throughout the global market, specialized firms focused solely on information security will find a profitable niche. It’s also expected that infrastructure protection products available in package form will increase by 30 percent by 2015.
Mobility is also on the radar in terms of information protection as application deployment is often focused on supporting the remote professional. Mobile security is expected to become a higher priority as too many consumers currently don’t see antivirus as a high priority on mobile devices. Attention is expected to shift by 2017 and beyond as providers take advantage of new opportunities in this space.
As companies continue to rely on information to realize their competitive advantage, while the cloud remains a viable productivity channel and mobility is an important trend, security investments will have to take priority. As this market continues to expand, solutions and pricing options will do the same, benefiting all companies and users in the long run.