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The global antivirus software package market is likely to exceed USD 36 billion by 2019, growing at a CAGR of over 9%. The market is predicted to grow significantly during the forecast period because of increased use of the Internet, which is giving rise to malware threats such as viruses, Trojans, and worms.
“Malware threats have also become more complex and have found more channels for propagation in computer systems. Therefore, the adoption of antivirus software for protection against such threats has become important and will gain popularity in the future,” says Amrita Choudhury, lead analyst at Technavio for enterprise application research.
The top three emerging trends influencing the global antivirus software package market according to Technavio’s ICT research analysts are:
Popularity of cloud-based antivirus software
As the cloud is proving to be a convenient and cost-effective way of storing critical business data, its adoption is increasing among SMBs worldwide. This increases the need for cloud security solutions such as cloud antiviruses. Cloud-based antiviruses do not require any hardware or software and are controlled remotely, making them cost-effective for end-users.
Cloud-based antivirus software provides quicker response to new threats or malicious activities. Cloud-based antiviruses are updated on the central server in the cloud and immediately available to all end-users. The Internet is required for automatic updates to the virus signatures.
Some antivirus vendors like Panda Security, F-Secure, Sophos, ESET, and Kaspersky are increasingly incorporating cloud-based capabilities in their products.
“Although, cloud-based antiviruses are beneficial for end-users, they are not recommended as a full replacement for desktop antivirus protection. It is safer to adopt the cloud-based antivirus along with a traditional desktop antivirus to mitigate the deceleration of the computer’s performance and provide the best protection,” says Amrita.
Partnerships between antivirus software vendors and telecom vendors
There is an increasing number of partnerships among antivirus software vendors, smartphone manufacturers, and telecom services providers, which is supporting the growth of the global antivirus software package market.
Increasing number of applications, make mobile devices more vulnerable to virus attacks, which necessitates the need for antivirus software.
Antivirus software vendors such as Symantec and Kaspersky are entering into partnerships with smartphone manufacturers and telecom service providers to boost the sales of antivirus software and increase their customer base and geographical reach. These vendors are looking to incorporate antivirus software into smartphones and have planned to provide a subscription-based model through telecom companies.
According to Technavio, smartphone users are willing to pay for antiviruses, especially high-end smartphone users who prefer online banking payment transfers, mobile banking, and mobile commerce. Online transactions, therefore require a high level of security because they involve a customer's monetary and confidential financial data. Therefore, the demand for antivirus software is likely to increase significantly with the increased adoption of mobile commerce.
Increased adoption of BYOD
The introduction of mobile devices into the workplace is changing the way users access enterprise resources. With the adoption of bring your own device (BYOD) policies worldwide, employees are using their personal mobile devices for work. This has increased the demand for uninterrupted connectivity between a corporate network and its employees' mobile devices. Employees need to access and store confidential information on their mobile devices, which has increased the need to protect data.
However, these devices are not secure, and it is easy for hackers to gain unauthorized access to firewalls, VPNs, and corporate networks. This can lead to fraudulent activities with the misuse of business-critical data. As personal mobile devices are being used for professional purposes, it has become extremely important to protect the data being transmitted in order to reduce the chances of unauthorized access to data.
Some of the top six vendors in the global antivirus software package market, as researched by Technavio analysts are:
AVAST Software
AVG
Avira
Symantec
McAfee
Microsoft
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