Symantec et al face changing market

The security market is to undergo a profound shift, with network perimeter software such as antivirus and firewall technology being superseded by basic data protection, according to RSA.

Companies including Symantec and McAfee have done very well out of the trend towards securing perimeters he said, but those days are drawing to a close as the industry looks at new security models.

"For the last five years there's been a huge party in the perimeter security market," said Denis Hoffman, chief strategy officer for RSA.

"RSA wasn't invited to that. But now the industry is getting to the root of what hackers are stealing: it's data and everything else is just a proxy to that."

He said that the industry is changing its perspective on security systems. While there will always be a place for firewall and antivirus software, security professionals are realising that data is usually the target for those seeking illegal access.

Protecting and locking down data is therefore the key to good IT security. Since no network is impossible to get into security managers must plan for the worst, not hope for the best.

He added that he expected more and more 'point' products, like anti-phishing and anti-spam, would be subsumed into larger product offerings but that there would still be a strong market for best of breed products.