Consumers and SOHOs Have Plenty Of Choices When Choosing "All-In-One" Security Package, IDC Says

03 April, 2007

Singapore and Hong Kong, April 03, 2007 – According to IDC's Asia/Pacific Semiannual Security Software Tracker 1H 2006 results, the security software market for the consumer and Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) segment (defined as having 1-9 employees) in Asia/Pacific (Excluding Japan), is estimated to be worth US$45.9 million in 1H 2006. This is a growth of 48% over the same period in 2005.

Driving this growth is the evolving threat landscape with users being told and warned of new threats, vulnerabilities and headline-making security breaches every day. Consumers are usually not IT security experts and SOHOs seldom have dedicated staff to manage security. They can be easily overwhelmed by the plethora of preventive measures that have to be taken to avoid falling prey to the ever-changing threats.

"The wheels are definitely being set in motion for disruptive changes in the region’s consumer and SOHO security software market with Microsoft's entry. Going forward, IDC expects competition to intensify with vendors increasingly offering discounts and various bundled offers designed to lock-in customers and prevent competitive displacements," says Willie Low, Senior Market Analyst of IDC's Asia/Pacific Infrastructure Software research.

To go after this attractive market, many vendors are touting "all-in-one" security packages. The major security software vendors have already offered such products in the market with various options. These products tend to be integrated out-of-the-box and eliminate the hassle of buying and managing multiple point products.

IDC sees this as a natural evolutionary progression as the complexity of security management for laptops and PCs starts to get too unwieldy for consumers and SOHOs. Consumers want the security in their laptops or PCs to be 'invisible' and unobtrusive, while SOHOs want to devote their limited manpower to core business activities.

"The vendor who can manage the 5C's well -- Capabilities, Cost, Convenience, Complexity and Channels -- will be able to increase their market share in the APEJ region," Mr. Low notes.

The report also notes that players in this market should look out for mergers and acquisitions of vendors that can potentially shift the competitive landscape in this space.

For more information about purchasing the research, please contact Selina Ang at +65-6228-7717 or sang@idc.com. For press inquiries, please contact Holly Fung at +852-2905-4225 or hfung@idc.com.

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