The worldwide information security services market will grow by more than a quarter a year until 2005, reaching a value of $21bn (£14.3bn), according to market research firm IDC.

With the increased use of remote Lan, internet, extranet, and wireless access services, there is a growing need for up-to-date security.

Demand for made-to-measure networking security is offering resellers with the skills and knowledge a tremendous opportunity, according to industry watchers.

Allan Carey, senior analyst at IDC's information security services research programme, said: "Growth in this market will come from clients who recognise the value of using service providers skilled at developing customised security strategies that solve real problems."

The research shows that SME spending will grow fastest in the sector. Many SMEs are moving their IP networks to high-bandwidth architectures capable of handling a range of applications, such as ecommerce and wireless, with security an essential addition.

Distributor E92 Plus supplies SME resellers with network security products and has seen business double year on year for the last three years.

Barry Mattacott, marketing manager at the company, said: "Virtually everybody is on the internet now. Security is always evolving because the menace will always evolve."

The research also shows that the financial services sector is the single largest source of information security services spending, and that its spending will increase from $848m in 2000 to about $2.2bn in 2005.