Two new markets—security event management and security service management—will generate between $US50-$US80 million in 2002, according to research from Yankee Group (US).

Security event management systems give IT organisations a better view of their vulnerability by aggregating information generated by firewalls, IDS systems, switches and other network and security devices. Security service management systems allow administrators to manage thousands of devices from a central location. The drivers for these markets, says Matthew Kovar, Yankee Group analyst, are the need to use personnel more efficiently and for organizations to maintain tighter control over their resources.

“Large and medium-size companies should be investing in these technologies,” says Kovar. “There is a pervasive need to tout security in general. The events of 9-11 alerted corporations that they may be at risk.”

Kovar says he expects companies to spend 40 per cent more on security infrastructure this year than they did last year, not including additional spending on security event management and security service management.

One area of increasing concern is remote access through virtual private networks. Yankee Group predicts that the global remote end-point security services market will grow from $US20 million in 2002 to $US170 million in 2007. Whether it’s telecommuting employees tapping the corporate network or business partners connecting to B2B Intranets, Kovar says, VPNs leave corporations vulnerable to attack.

“There are potential hazards without a view into those applications; you may be missing out on attacks,” Kovar says. “Remote end points represent a great security vulnerability, and that’s because it’s been completely ignored by IT infrastructure specialists and most security specialists as well.”

Kovar also expects two other security markets to blossom in 2002 — enterprise network security certification and e-insurance (policies bought to cover losses, both physical and operational, during an attack).