Technavio analysts have predicted that, until 2019, the global IT security consulting services market will face a few hurdles, hindering market growth.
The three biggest challenges identified are:
- Lack of Awareness about IT Security among Business Leadership
- Shortage of IT Security Consultants
- Increased Competition and Low Profit Margins
Luckily, analysts have also identified three high impact trends that are expected to help offset any damage caused by these challenges:
Increased Need for Security Consulting Services among SMEs
A rising number of SMEs, particularly in the manufacturing, retail, and banking sectors, are looking for security consulting services to protect critical business information. SMEs seek the help of service providers to monitor networks in real time from unauthorized network intrusions and virus attacks. IT security consulting services support an organization’s growth by addressing its security requirements and streamlining its business processes and improving operational efficiency.
Rise in Mobility IT Security Services
The widespread use of laptops, tablets, smartphones, and Internet-enabled TVs is attributed to the increased Internet access worldwide. Mobile phone users, in particular, are growing rapidly and are expected to increase YoY during the forecast period. For instance, the number of mobile phones users worldwide was around 4.33 billion in 2013 and around 4.55 billion in 2014.
In 2012, 1.58 billion users accessed the Internet through mobile phones, which is about 67% of Internet users worldwide. In 2013, that number grew by 21% to 1.91 billion, which is 74% of Internet users worldwide. The number of people accessing the Internet through mobile devices is expected to increase year-on-year during the forecast period. In the near future, smartphones will be a primary way of connecting to the Internet and users will access applications and data from those devices.
Thus, securing applications becomes necessary to protect unauthorized access, thereby driving the need for security consulting services. Managing the enterprise ecosystem of BYOD, enterprise mobile devices, and mobile applications is complex and marred with risks. IT security consulting organizations are focusing on services that help in securely accessing and managing them.
Security Services for Protection against DDoS Attacks
Hackers are increasingly focusing on attacking network layers rather than application layers. DoS is one of the old, common techniques used for confidential data theft. Hackers use DoS to send unnecessary data into a user’s web server and network resources to increase traffic in the network. This automatically generates requests for access, blocking both the server and accessibility to legitimate users.
Hackers are now opting for DDoS techniques, the improved versions of DoS. They initiate a coordinated attack from multiple systems using the DDoS technique, which has a more powerful impact than DoS. IT security consulting companies are providing services to protect high-profile web servers such as banks, credit card payment gateways, and root name servers.
