Computer Network Security Alternatives :: Computer Network Security Essays

Computer Network Security Alternatives Computer network security and integrity is a large concern among all types and sizes of companies. The options for solving security risks are as varied as the companies themselves. However, it is possible to break down the methods for dealing with security risks into three major categories. Companies have the option to: 1. Select best of breed products for their various security needs and assemble the products together to form their own customized solutions. 2. Purchase a security suite that contains security products that will address their various security needs. 3. Outsource security to another company rather than handle it internally. This paper will summarize primary research conducted by Kang-hun Lee, Yonghoon Choi, Mike Loveridge, Tom Gonzales and David Linford over a three month period to determine market trends in the security software industry. A survey instrument was prepared to capture the following data. 1. What do companies consider threats to their network environment? 2. What preferences do they have regarding specific security services? 3. What sort of security option do they prefer when choosing between: best of breed, suites or outsourcing. Findings and analysis Once the data were collected, we were able to organize and analyze the results. This section will both specify the analytical procedures we used as well as report on the findings. There are three (will be more when other sections get put in) primary types of analysis that we performed. 1. Find the security software preference 2. Segment the market based on preferred security options Finding the security software preference We analyzed the preference data from two perspectives. First of all, we took the data as a whole in order to describe the overall market. Overall Market The first type of analysis that we performed consisted of finding the percentage of respondents that preferred each of the three security options. The results of this analysis are summarized on chart 1. We found at this point that most of the people who took the survey overwhelmingly preferred a security suite approach. Most of those who preferred best of breed indicated that if a suite could provide a best of breed package, then they would prefer a suite.