Rising use of cloud drives growth in security software

Thai companies are providing a broader range of security products and solutions in light of the increasing threat of cyber-attacks on the business sector, with new offerings contributing to estimated security-software market growth of 16 per cent this year.

Pramut Sriwichian, country manager of Symantec (Thailand), said that given the rise in cyber-threats and targeted cyber-attacks, the company was focusing on the provision of security software and solutions to support mobile workforce productivity, enabling the safe management of devices in terms of Internet access. 

Other Symantec products provide information security and information management for customers from the consumer level through to enterprise clients.

He said online criminals were following users onto new platforms with attacks that mostly target small businesses and the manufacturing and banking sectors, with mobile malware among the chief techniques used for such attacks. 

Those companies engaging in a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy and businesses switching from physical infrastructure to cloud computing are at particular risk of cyber-attack.

“I think the security software and solutions market in Thailand has high potential, since more and more companies are realising the dangers and are concerned about the security of their business from cyber-threats, and want to protect themselves from losses from cyber-attacks. Moreover, mobile devices and information-technology infrastructure play important roles in driving security-software market growth in Thailand. 

“The firm therefore expects its revenue growth to exceed overall market growth this year,” said Pramut.

Meanwhile, William Tan, regional country manager, Thailand and Indochina, of Trend Micro (Thailand), said the cyber-security market in the Kingdom offered high potential for growth as businesses transform their IT infrastructure into cloud computing and more companies see the need to invest in security solutions.

To support the market, the company has introduced Trend Micro Deep Security 9, which features protection for virtualisation systems via VMware by offering comprehensive functions including vulnerability protection, system-integrity monitoring and configuration for virtualisation without installing additional antivirus software. 

Moreover, it will enhance flexibility and bring costs down, allowing corporate customers to have scalable data centres to increase their system loads for cloud systems with confidence, he said. 

Target customers for the new product include the business, financial, banking, government and manufacturing sectors.

Tan added that Trend Micro (Thailand) expected the new security product to contribute to revenue growth of around 25-30 per cent this year.

 

Cyber-criminals target cloud

According to a report by US research company TechNavio, the global market value of security software for cloud systems worldwide is expected to reach US$963.4 million (nearly Bt31 billion) next year. 

The key factors driving this growth are the increasing use of cloud services to store important data, and the significant surge in the number of cyber-criminals targeting the cloud system.

Nakrop Niamnamtham, managing director, nForce Security Systems AP, said the IT security market in Thailand was continuing to expand, especially given the effectiveness of Regulatory Compliance for PCI Compliance, which would stimulate and alert many companies to plan for such certification.

“As for the technology trend, I believe cloud security will continue to be the key technology. Despite it having entered Thailand more than two years ago, recognition is still limited. Today, we see more and more technologies relying on cloud technology, so cloud security will play a more vital role,” he said.

The company over the rest of the year will continue to drive collaborative strategies on vertical marketing by focusing on banks, service providers and educational institutes.

In addition, nForce plans to enhance skills for 20 system engineers of its partners via the awarding of certificates for passing the Next-Gen Firewall and Penetration test, as this will help serve the growth of IT security next year.

“In the first half of this year, our business sustained the projected growth rate of 16 per cent. For the second half, nForce will complete major projects, resulting in an annual sales growth rate of 20 per cent,” said the MD.

Market research company IDC, meanwhile, has estimated that the overall Thai security software market this year will grow by about 16 per cent.