Market Overview: Client Security Suites

Security managers are overwhelmed with the number of security tools needed to protect their PCs. While organizations have already deployed established security tools, such as antimalware and personal firewalls, this is not enough to mitigate today's security threats — especially unknown viruses and data leakage. Thankfully, technologies have surfaced to address emerging concerns, but these solutions are not well understood and have security managers wondering how they will manage their PC environment once they add yet another agent to the desktop. Fortunately, the client security market is consolidating quickly, and vendors are adding more tools to their portfolio. The ideal solution for your company will be determined by the group responsible for securing the PC environment; security groups should look to vendors like McAfee and Sophos, while the infrastructure and operations group should look to vendors like Microsoft and Symantec.