AntiVirus vendors with standalone products face uncertain future. (Virus Notes).

Butler Group

According to Butler Group's latest report Network Security - The Benefits and Pitfalls of Contemporary Network Security Technologies, pure-play Anti-Virus vendors face an uncertain future unless they expand their product portfolio. Butler Group believes that Network Security is essential to the well-being of any organisation with its network connected to the outside world, but any security deployed will only ever be successful if it is backed up by a comprehensive corporate security policy. This report from Butler Group examines the importance of the security policy and the parts that the three technology areas of Anti-Virus, Firewalls, and Intrusion Detection Systems can play in ensuring the network is as protected as possible from attack.

In the report, Butler Group cites Network Associates (with its McAfee brand) and Sophos as the market leaders in Anti-Virus software. For Firewalls, Butler Group identifies Symantec as an outperforming company. The Intrusion Detection Systems marketplace is comparatively immature, therefore it is difficult to identify a market leader. However, Butler Group has suggested that both Entercept, with its niche Intrusion Prevention technology, and Snort, as open source software, both have features that make them outperformers. According Butler Group: "Of the three technology types that Butler Group has reviewed: Anti-Virus, Firewalls, and Intrusion Detection Systems; Anti-Virus vendors must re-think their product strategy if they are going to survive the future. Those vendors that are solely dependent on Anti-Virus functionality must either capture and maintain best-of-breed status, or partner with other technologies. The IT security market will become dominated by multi-product vendors offering solutions in all ar eas of security."

www.butlergroup.com