Internet-Security Solution

Like storage, security has been an area of prime concern for enterprises, with an increasing number of holes being found in operating systems and applications. Despite this, what is surprising is that only 56% of the enterprises polled have an Internet security solution in place. And only 26% plan to invest in one in the immediate future.

The winner in the inaugural year is Cisco, with Check Point close behind at 85%. Symantec comes in at third position with a UPI of 49%. Not surprisingly, Linux, BSD or other open-source based solutions come in at number four with a UPI of 38%.

Network Associates is at fifth position and has a UPI of 37%.

Cisco got the maximum of its votes from the North zone and from companies with an IT spend of over Rs one crore. The verticals that gave Cisco its push are BPO and services. For Check Point, the North and West zones gave it predominant support. Companies with an IT spend of over Rs 1 crore also gave Check Point their vote, as did software, BPO and telecom in the verticals. For Symantec, the support came from the West zone and from companies with an IT spend of between Rs 25 lakh to Rs 1 crore. In verticals, the maximum votes came from government departments, research bodies and banking and finance.

The top reason for voting for Cisco and Checkpoint was the quality of the product. For open-source products, Symantec and Network Associates, satisfaction with the product is the primary reason for voting for them.

Brand loyalty seems highest for Check Point and Symantec, with 88% of Check Point users and 83% of Symantec saying that they will remain loyal to their brands. Cisco may have something to think about as 19% of its users say that they may shift to other brands.

In current ownership, Check Point is number one, ahead of Cisco.

Even if we assume that all of the 26 % who are immediately in the market for an Internet security solution are part of the 44% who do not currently implement one (and that is definitely not the case), we are still left with a significant percentage who will still not have any security protection.

When the Internet is part of every business infrastructure, and when security concerns and breaches are so rampant, this is both a major worry and a major opportunity for vendors.