Heavy Reading Expands Into Enterprise Sector With Groundbreaking Report on IT SecurityLeading paid research service launches a new product line delivering unique insight into enterprise technology spending and deployment plansPRNewswire NEW YORK, Aug. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Heavy Reading (http://www.heavyreading.com/), the paid research division of Light Reading Inc. (http://www.lightreading.com/), is proud to announce the launch of Heavy Reading Enterprise (http://www.heavyreading.com/enterprise), a brand-new research service aimed squarely at a market sector of vital interest to the entire networking and technology supply chain -- the enterprise IT market. The inaugural report from this new service delivers a comprehensive analysis of enterprise attitudes toward and spending plans for network and information security products and technologies, including full results of an exclusive, worldwide survey of enterprise IT professionals, offering deep and unparalleled insight into enterprise deployment plans for security products in the coming months and years. The Future of Network & Information Security investigates the major security products, industry initiatives, and vendors without any hype; it also provides clear guidance on what enterprise customers think about the state of their security, what they are buying and planning to buy, and the roadblocks they are encountering in terms of their buying strategies and their overall security strategies. The heart of the 83-page report is a major worldwide survey of enterprise professionals, gauging their attitudes and expectations about information and network security technologies and deployments. Nearly 200 respondents participated in the invitation-only survey, representing a rich mix of company sizes and more than two dozen vertical market sectors. The survey covers enterprise customer perceptions about the state of security at their organization, roadblocks to effective security, the current state of security technology, and enterprise buying decisions -- that is, what is driving their technology choices and what they are looking at in terms of choosing security vendors. In addition to detailed analysis of survey results, the report includes a comprehensive taxonomy of security products now available for enterprise use, as well as an up-to-the-minute accounting of critical standards initiatives. It also analyzes 33 leading IT security vendors -- including those vendors identified by survey respondents as the market leaders in the security sector. Key findings of The Future of Network & Information Security include the following: Despite concerns about cost, enterprises of all sizes plan to increase spending on security products over the next two years. However, they are not going to spend indiscriminately; their spending will be based on a number of factors, including up-front price, return on investment (ROI) and total cost of ownership (TCO), and pre- and post-implementation services and support. In other words, enterprises will not base their spending exclusively on issues such as product features and functionality. Security is evolving from a department-level concern to become an organization-wide initiative, but not all enterprises are making the necessary adjustment. Securing only departments or certain applications or data sources will do little to address an enterprise's security issues, and security is therefore increasingly treated as an organization-wide issue -- a critical initiative that requires a long-term plan and a balanced risk-management approach. Many enterprises seem to be pursuing their security objectives fairly wisely, but many unfortunately still approach security in a knee-jerk fashion, confident that their firewalls will protect against most threats. A variety of issues are hindering enterprise efforts to mount complete security initiatives. While respondents report that their security initiatives have the strong backing of upper management and that they also have dedicated security teams, many security initiatives are being stymied by a number of problems, among them money, executive-level support, personnel, and politics. Customers are looking for products with a broad range of capabilities. The market for point solutions will remain strong, but the demand for a broader range of security tools reflects the increasing range of threats, as well as issues such as manageability. Integrated solutions may be a factor in some of product choices, while interoperability certainly ranks high on users' list of requirements. Enterprises are also looking at standards -- both security standards and non-security standards -- as well as at real-time capabilities and, in many cases, more reporting and metrics. The Future of Network & Information Security provides invaluable insight into current and future prospects for enterprise security sector by delivering information directly from the most critical source: the companies and professionals that are making actual deployment and purchase decisions. Exclusive quantitative data from our enterprise security survey addresses a range of issues that are of major concern across the entire enterprise technology supply chain, including: * How confident are IT professionals in their company's security systems? * Which areas are perceived as the most vulnerable and in biggest need of improvement? * How effective are today's security products? * Which vendors are the leading providers in the security sector? * How will spending on security change in the next 12 to 24 months, and which types of systems are likely to attract the biggest budgets? * What are the biggest internal roadblocks to deploying a more effective security program? * How is regulatory compliance affecting security initiatives? * Which industry initiatives are seen as the most important by enterprise users? * How do customers evaluate and choose their security suppliers? The report is essential reading for a wide range of industry participants, including: * Suppliers of IT security technologies and products: What are the top priorities for enterprise security deployments, and how does your product line match up with those priorities? What do enterprises see as their biggest vulnerability points? Where are the new opportunities for market growth? Are your products and marketing messages in line with customer plans and expectations? Is your company perceived as a leader in this sector by end users? Are there significant gaps in your product line that need to be addressed to meet future demand for IT security? * Enterprise IT executives: How do your perceptions of internal security strengths and weaknesses match up with those of your colleagues in other organizations? Are your spending and budget plans in line with other companies in your vertical sector? Are there areas of security deployment being neglected by your organization? * Investors: Which security products and technologies will attract the most spending by enterprises? Which suppliers are in the best position to capture that spending? What are the hot startups in this sector? Which companies are in danger of falling behind in this critical market? The Future of Network & Information Security costs $4,995 and is published in PDF format. The price includes an enterprise license covering all of the employees at the purchaser's company. Purchasers of the report also gain access to the full survey results for targeted analysis in a searchable database. The online database allows for segmentation of results by a range of factors, including vertical market sector, size of organization, geographic location, and respondent job title. Using the same highly successful model as Heavy Reading's telecom practice, the new Heavy Reading Enterprise research service provides a wide range of products, including: * Full-length formal research reports (50+ pages) on the key trends influencing enterprise technology choices * Custom research services, including worldwide surveys of enterprise/IT professionals to pinpoint technology deployment and spending trends * A full range of consulting services targeting product positioning, market development, financial and competitive analyses, and market sizing * Multisponsor and custom events that deliver high-quality enterprise attendees who directly influence purchases of technologies and services in their organization Heavy Reading Enterprise research reports are completely independent of industry sponsorship, which ensures that all reports are free of industry bias or influence. And direct access to enterprise/IT professionals enables Heavy Reading Enterprise to deliver a complete and unfiltered view into technology selection and deployment processes across a full spectrum of vertical market sectors and geographic regions. For additional information, to request a free executive summary of this report, or for more information about Heavy Reading Enterprise, please contact: Dave Williams Sales Director Heavy Reading 858-485-8870 dave.williams@heavyreading.com Press/analyst contact: Dennis Mendyk Managing Director Heavy Reading 201-587-2154 mendyk@heavyreading.com About Heavy Reading Heavy Reading is an independent market research organization offering quantitative analysis of telecom technology to service providers, vendors, and investors. Its mandate is to provide the comprehensive competitive analysis needed today for the deployment of profitable networks based on next- generation hardware and software. About Light Reading Reaching a core audience of more than 917,000 enterprise IT managers and executives, Light Reading Inc. publishes http://www.lightreading.com/, the leading global content site for the telecom industry; http://www.byteandswitch.com/, a storage networking site; http://www.unstrung.com/, dedicated to wireless networking; http://www.darkreading.com/, an IT security site; and http://www.cabledigitalnews.com/, covering the cable industry's evolving communications infrastructure. Light Reading was acquired by United Business Media in August 2005, and operates as a unit of CMP Technology. About CMP Technology CMP Technology (http://www.cmp.com/) is a marketing solutions company serving the technology industry. Through its market-leading portfolio of trusted information brands, CMP has earned the confidence of more technology professionals than any other media company. As a result, CMP is the premier provider of access, insight and actionable programs designed to connect sellers and buyers in ways that yield superior return on investment. CMP Technology is a subsidiary of United Business Media (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/), a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $3 billion. SOURCE: Heavy Reading CONTACT: Dave Williams, Sales Director, +1-858-485-8870, Web site: http://www.heavyreading.com/ |