Residential broadband users want their internet service providers (ISPs) to take the hassle out of installing, configuring and maintaining antivirus, firewall and parental control products.

According to research firms Parks Associates and TeleChoice, a substantial proportion of residential broadband subscribers want network-based protection for their home PC delivered by their ISP.

The study also suggests that attracting new access subscribers with robust, secure services could provide organic growth for service provider revenues. Selling security services to existing access subscribers could also grow revenue and improve customer retention.

"Service providers must adopt strategies that bridge today's need to reinforce acquisition and retention with the growing need to improve protections for residential subscribers against cyber-attack," said Claudia J. Bacco, president of TeleChoice.

"Our analysis of the Parks data clearly illustrates the opportunity to achieve both goals by selling network-based security services as a value-add to the basic broadband sub."

Tom Donnelly, co-founder and vice president of sales and marketing for service provider security firm Sandvine, said: "This study shows that residential subscribers want to utilise - and would be willing to pay for - their service providers' technological expertise in order to stop viruses, intrusions and objectionable content in the network."