While technology vendors and security analysts continue to endorse the notion that anti-virus software is increasingly becoming commoditized, sales of the IT systems defense tools will help drive $9.1 billion in security applications sales during 2007, according to researchers at Gartner.

The Stamford, Conn.-based analysis firm released its annual security software market growth estimates on Feb. 1, projecting the 10.7 percent gain in sales for the year, compared to the $8.2 billion in security applications sold during calendar 2006.

Gartner contends that a commanding $4.9 billion, or 53.8 percent, of all security applications sold during 2007 will be anti-virus products-made by companies such as Symantec, mcafee, Trend Micro, Sophos, Kaspersky, Panda, Microsoft and CA.

"The move to converged endpoint suites will be a long road," Nicole Latimer-Livingston, analyst with Gartner, wrote in a summary of the report. "The enterprise desktop is closely guarded and the IT buying center is leery of introducing new technology that may inhibit user experience and increase costs."

Source:1

Prashanth Rai