Looking Back: Top 10 Security Stories of 2009
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Managed Security Comes of Age
After a big wave of consolidation in the managed security service provider (MSSP) market in recent years, the numbers from 2009 seem to bear out the fact that the MSSP marketplace has finally matured into a great opportunity for the channel. According to a report released by Infonetics in June, the revenue service providers derive from managed security services is forecast to grow 78% from 2008 to 2013 worldwide.
“Despite the global economic meltdown, the security services market is strong and growing," said Jeff Wilson, Infonetics Research’s principal analyst for network security, in June, "driven by increasing global demand from organizations of all sizes due to the proliferation of threats of all types, the complexity of current security solutions, and the desire of many service providers to add revenue and improve margins. "
Some may say, in fact, that MSSP's maturation did not blossom in spite of the recession, but perhaps because of hard times. Customers who may have once been resistant to giving up internal control of the security infrastructure have become much more amenable to talking seriously with solution providers who have built out their offerings considerably in recent years and are all-too-ready to add value to these customers' operations.
Perhaps none so ready as SecureWorks and its cadre of channel partners who use the SecureWorks platform to white-label its service offerings. The company continued its growth considerably in 2009 with two big acquisitions: a July $45-million purchase of VeriSign's managed services division and the most recent December buy of UK-based dns Limited.
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