IDC's New Market Gives an Insight into The Future of MSP

By Lavanya Rathnam June 25, 2014

In today's connected world, devices have to constantly communicate and interface with each other, and this communication has brought the focus back to network security. In fact, network security is one of the most pressing issues among businesses today because they have to protect the integrity of their data- without disrupting access. This security aspect has become complicated with the advent of BYOD, IoT and smart devices.

To get a better handle over their network security, companies around the world increasingly prefer to outsource network security to managed security service providers (MSSPs). A survey conducted in 2009 by Forrester Research (News - Alert) shows that out of 2,300 IT companies, 47 percent of large enterprises and 37 percent of small and medium enterprises have already purchased the services of MSSPs. These companies provide a range of network security management tools that include virus blocking, spam blocking, VPN management, firewall management and intrusion detection.

Many companies are outsourcing their network security because of the cost savings that come with it. According to Computer Technology Industry Association, IT companies can save 25 percent of costs when they outsource their network security to MSSPs. These benefits that come with MSSP have led to its impressive growth over the last few years. Its future looks positive too, according to a report by IDC MarketScape. This report states that many MSSPs are moving to the cloud, so companies are likely to have the option to use services on a demand basis. The report further states that MSSPs are using latest technologies such as big data analytics to predict threats, and avert them even before they occur. Some of them also offer additional services such as incident management, forensics and compliance services.

Lastly, the report throws light into the names of vendors, with the leaders in this segment being AT&T, CSC, Dell, HP, IBM and Verizon. The upcoming major players are Symantec, BT and Orange Business Services.