Malicious code (viruses, worms and Trojan horses) and email advertising is expected to cause billions in economic losses in 2003 and will continue to cause shocking financial damage over the next few years.

The rapid expansion of the Internet and electronic communications has fostered an environment which allows for the easy propagation of malicious computer code (viruses) and unwanted mass mailings (spam). Malicious code (viruses, worms and Trojan horses) is expected to cause over 28 billion in economic losses in 2003, growing to over $75 billion in economic losses by the year 2007. Email advertising is the leading cause of spam, accounting for roughly 89% of total spam content today.

Research and Markets have announced the addition of the "Anti-Virus, Anti-Spam and Content Filtering: Market and Product" report to their offering.

This study provides an analysis of the Anti-Virus, Anti-Spam and Content iltering markets in 2003 and discusses their evolution over the next four years. The study provides a detailed analysis of market drivers, barriers, and opportunities. It segments the market according to the following categories:

1. Anti-Virus Software Vendors -- offer solutions designed to detect viruses and to either disinfect, delete or quarantine them. Besides simple macro and email viruses, anti-virus products should also intercept worms and Trojan horses by using signature files and heuristic technology. Some of the companies representing this segment include: Computer Associates, F-Secure, Network Associates, Panda Software, Sophos, Symantec, Trend Micro, and many others.

2. Anti-Spam and Content Filtering Vendors -- offer solutions that transparently monitor and manage all inbound, outbound and internal traffic. Besides blocking unsolicited commercial messages (spam), these solutions can also filter out non-work related content, as well as recognize sensitive and confidential materials. Some content filtering solutions are also designed to control the way employees utilize the Internet, blocking or restricting their access to specific web sites, chat rooms, web-based email and instant messaging, as well as controlling the data they can download from the Internet or upload to a message board. Some of the vendors representing the anti-spam and content filtering segment include: ActiveState, Brightmail, Clearswift, Cloudmark, Elron Software, Lyris Technology, N2H2, NetIQ, Postini, SurfControl, Tumbleweed, Websense, WinResources, and many others.

This report consists of data collected from vendors, service providers and Global 1000 corporations via interviews and surveys throughout 2003. Secondary research sources have also been used, where appropriate, to cross check the information collected.

The rapid expansion of the Internet and electronic communications has fostered an environment which allows for the easy propagation of malicious computer code (viruses) and unwanted mass mailings (spam).

Malicious code (viruses, worms and Trojan horses) is expected to cause over 28 billion in economic losses in 2003, growing to over $75 billion in economic losses by the year 2007.

Email advertising is the leading cause of spam, accounting for roughly 89% of total spam content today. Other leading types of spam include chain letters (5%), conschemes (4%), and malicious spam, intended to clog a network (2%).

Targeted email advertisements receive response rates ranging between 5% and 7%, whereas the response rate for offline advertisements is only between 1% and 3%. Several industries in particular are heavily involved in spamming, including pornography, online gaming, credit cards, and online travel agencies.

In 2003, we project that about 45% of all email traffic will be classified as spam. This number is expected to skyrocket to 70% by 2007. By year-end 2003, we expect over 13 billion spam messages will be sent on a daily basis, growing to almost 54 billion spam messages daily by 2007.

Anti-virus, anti-spam and content filtering products often work together to shield a wide number of corporate network resources by transparently managing the flow of electronic information without stifling vital communication channels.

- Anti-Virus solutions are designed to detect and prevent viruses from infecting the system by disinfecting, deleting, or quarantining them in real time. Besides simple macro and email viruses, anti-virus products should also intercept worms and Trojan horses.

- Anti-Spam and Content Filtering solutions are designed to transparently monitor and manage all inbound, outbound and internal traffic. Besides blocking unsolicited commercial messages, these solutions can also filter out non-work related content, as well as recognize sensitive and confidential materials and images (such as pornography). Some content filtering solutions are also designed to control the way employees utilize the Internet.

Even though the first packaged anti-virus products appeared on the market at the beginning of the 1990s, and the first anti-spam/content filtering solutions became available by the mid-1990s, the two segments have remained isolated until almost two years ago.

Taking steps towards the integration of these technologies, vendors are beginning to roll out more comprehensive security products, which address both anti-virus and anti-spam requirements. This integration is especially significant since we are seeing more spam messages arriving infected with viruses, and a double filter will certainly help to stop these from slipping into the system.

Messaging systems remain the pivotal technology which needs to offer both antivirus and anti-spam protection. At the same time, other technologies, such as instant messaging and wireless handheld devices, are also starting to fall prey to virus infections, as well as serve as new avenues for distributing unsolicited messages.

While established vendors continue to develop solutions employing traditional technologies, a new generation of players is going off the beaten track to devise new tools to handle anti-virus and anti-spam threats.

Key new developments in the anti-virus market include:

- multi-tiered protection suites designed to shield corporate resources from blended attacks;
- automated clean-up services, which when performed manually account for 80% of the total cost of virus intrusion;
- behavior-blocking tools, which constantly monitor systems looking for unusual behavior patterns in different programs (such as a program attempting
to erase a hard drive, etc.).

Key developments in the anti-spam market include:

- heuristic analysis which is used to analyze not only keywords but also the context in which they are being used;
- circle of trust systems, which validate which messages are legitimate based on a special warrant mark embedded in the message header;
- vaccination" of email addresses, which prevent spambots from harvesting email addresses from company websites;
- address disguise, which allow users to shield their actual email address and avoid having it trapped" by potential spammers.

As spam is changing from a minor annoyance to a disruptive force, customer complaints are causing consumer protection organizations to demand greater legal protection against unsolicited messages. Even though the United States has not yet adopted such legislation at the federal level, 26 states have already enacted individual anti-spam laws.

By the end of 2003, worldwide revenues for anti-virus solutions are expected to approach $1.8 billion, and grow to over $6.1 billion by 2007.

Anti-spam and content filtering revenues are expected to top $653 million in 2003, and grow to almost $2.4 billion by 2007.

In terms of geographic distribution of revenues, the North American market is generating the greatest demand for both anti-virus and anti-spam solutions, and currently accounts for over 70% of the worldwide market sales.

Even though competition in this market is already intense, over the next four years we expect even more companies to enter this market, since the barriers to entry are relatively low, and there is still room for innovation.

This report includes Worldwide Market Size, 4-Year Forecasts, Regional Breakouts and Market Share by Vendor for the Anti-Virus, Anti-Spam and Content Filtering market segments. It includes data on Internet Users, Email boxes, Economic Impact of Malicious code, Spam Growth, and more.

For a complete index of this report click on http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/35259

REPORT DATA SUMMARY:
Anti-Virus, Anti-Spam and Content Filtering: Market and Product
Number of Pages: 217
Category: IT Security
URL: www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/35259

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