"Cybercrime is now amongst the most important revenue sectors for global organized crime", says Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Katie Gotzen. Because of this, the potential risks associated with malware have risen dramatically. "Malware attacks are today in the hands of professional criminals, whose goal is to create revenue. This explains why attacks today are targeted. In the consumer space, this translates to identity theft and stolen passwords.
In the enterprise space, loss of intellectual property and customer data, as well as extortion with the threat of taking down websites or revealing sensitive information, are on the rise." End-users' awareness of the increased threat level is driving the anti-malware market.
The increased number and severity of malware attacks have created significant growth opportunities in the anti-malware industry. This has led to intensified competition in both the consumer and enterprise segments. "In the consumer market, Microsoft's entry has driven prices down and has led the traditional heavyweights to rethink their strategies," says Gotzen. "In the enterprise space, non-security players are developing a presence in the market."
"Best-of-breed specialisation, diversification or carving out a niche are valid strategies in today's enterprise anti-malware market," states Gotzen. "In the consumer market, ISPs are emerging as the new channel battleground for vendors."
