Majority Respondents Want Cheaper, Simpler IT Security, According to Study

Fortinet reportedly announced the results of its latest market survey titled, “Fortinet (News - Alert) Security Consolidation Survey,” that analyzed IT security consolidation trends among mid to large enterprises in major European economies, and its main finding was that 90 percent of respondents said they were likely to budget and commission a network security consolidation project in the next 12 months.

“Mid and large scale organisations are being more progressive in their security strategies, and looking at mature, enterprise ready integrated security solutions to heighten performance, reduce cost and tighten security through consolidation,” said Patrice Perche, vice president of Europe Middle East and Africa at Fortinet. “This trend is strongly validated by our research, conducted in the context of difficult trading conditions for European businesses which have clearly focused their minds and budgets on being as smart and efficient as possible with IT security infrastructure.”

Research analysts at the company, which claims to be a network security and unified threat management solution provider, also said that more than half of the senior decision makers expressed caution and concern about rigid ‘per-user’ licensing models, and more than 66 percent of respondents likely to adopt network security were encouraged by the benefits of simplified management and reduced operating costs.

The firm said that country wise, French and German enterprises were more open minded and adaptive to quick change in terms of security consolidation and virtualisation than companies in the UK. In response to a survey field titled, “Undertake some form of network security consolidation project in the next 12 months,” 99 percent were from France, 96.5 percent from Germany, and only 73.5 percent were from the UK.

In terms of type of service offered with respect to totally negative answers, 6 percent were from financial services, 15 percent from manufacturing, and 10 percent from retail, distribution and transport, said company officials.

The bigger the company, the more inclined it appeared to be to establish network security consolidation and virtualisation, Fortinet claimed. Of companies with employee strengths of 500 to a 1000, 93 percent answered in the affirmative when compared with only 87 percent of companies with 250 to 500 staff on board.

Official sources said that 34 percent wanted network security because of simplified network security management, 33 percent claimed that lower total cost of ownership, reduced Opex were their main reasons, and 17 percent played it safe by citing tighter security.

The down economy, akin to a world war, left scars, memories and bitter lessons from the past, claimed sources. The most prominent lesson was to shy away from expensive and rigid per user licensing models, and the response came from 44 percent of all respondents, with the country wise break up looking like this: 59 percent in France, 40 percent in the UK and 34 percent in Germany.

“I know that I can get more for less from future procurement decisions,” claimed Fortinet was another reason given by 25 percent of all respondents, with the country wise break up looking like this: 18 percent in France, 27 percent in the UK and 30 percent in Germany.

The manufacturing services – 52 percent - were most wary of rigid licensing models, and 27 percent of financial services were sure they could “get more for less in future”.

 In terms of viewing virtualization as an important means of establishing a more efficient and scalable security integration option, 81 percent of the sample responded “Yes, with the country wise break up looking like this: 94.5 percent in France, 59.5 percent in the UK and 88.5 percent in Germany. The financial services industry was the most positive sector, with a figure of 87 percent across the sample, said officials.

In pushing for tighter US government- based rules for Internet security, Go Daddy recently testified before a Congressional subcommittee recommending that the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet renew the Joint Partnership Agreement (JPA) between the U.S. Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).