IDC predicts cloud and mobile security market worth $6bn by 2015

The move to cloud computing and mobile working is creating an enormous opportunity for security vendors according to IDC. Speaking at the Cloud Identity Summit 2011 Sally Hudson, research director at IDC, said that the total market for cloud and mobile security is worth around $4bn today, and was forecast to hit $6bn by 2015. Of that, mobile security would make up around a third of the market. "There's a ton of money to be made here," she said. "We first started hearing about cloud security about two years ago, but now the fears of customers over security have moved to the forefront."
Businesses accepted the business case for cloud, but the security side of the technology was not a simple sell she explained. Cloud security suffers from many of the same problems with identity that are found with on-premise systems. Mobile device security was also an increasing concern. While the acceptance of mobile working practices was increasing, so too are security fears. Management fears over mobile security have doubled in the last year according to IDC research, with over half of IT managers surveyed citing mobile security as a major concern. To date some security companies are offering mobile security suites, as are some operators and handset manufacturers. But Hudson recommended companies also look at smaller companies with bespoke security systems, and predicted many were going to be the target of mergers and acquisitions as the market expands. "In my opinion we are seeing a real uptick taking place in this area," Roger Oberg, vice president of marketing for identity management firm Ping Identity, told V3.co.uk. "Standards are helping. SAML is a widely acknowledged standard and a great platform to build around, and companies are happy to use it."
The use of standards offers companies reassurance that they won't face massive integration costs and can choose from a variety of suppliers, while making life easier for software developers.

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