IDC predicts $6bn market for cloud and mobile security by 2015

KEYSTONE, COLORADO: The move to cloud computing and mobile working is creating an enormous opportunity for security vendors, according to IDC.

Sally Hudson, research director at IDC, said at the Cloud Identity Summit 2011 that the total market for cloud and mobile security is worth around $4bn today, and is forecast to hit $6bn by 2015. Mobile security will make up around a third of the market by that time.

"There's a ton of money to be made here. We first started hearing about cloud security about two years ago, but now customer fears over security have moved to the forefront," she said.

Organisations accept the business case for cloud computing, but the security is not a simple sell, Hudson explained. Cloud security suffers from many of the same identity problems found with on-premise systems.

Mobile device security is also an increasing concern. The acceptance of mobile working practices is increasing, but so too are security fears.

Management concerns about mobile security have doubled in the past year, according to an IDC survey which found that over half of IT managers list mobile security as a major worry.

Some security companies, operators and handset manufacturers offer mobile security suites, but Hudson urged companies to look at bespoke security systems from smaller players, many of which will be the target of mergers and acquisitions as the market expands.

"In my opinion we are seeing a real uptick in this area," Roger Oberg, vice president of marketing at identity management firm Ping Identity, told V3.co.uk.

"Standards are helping. Security Assertion Markup Language is a widely acknowledged standard and a great platform to build around, and companies are happy to use it."

The use of standards offers reassurance that companies will not face prohibitive integration costs, and provides a choice of suppliers while making life easier for software developers.