Complexity drives cloud deployments

CALIFORNIA, USA: Interestingly, security is no more a barrier for cloud deployment, but cost is. According to market research firm Infonetics Research's User Plans for Content Security study, sixty percent of respondents planning to roll out a SaaS solution cited strength of security as a chief driver.

Call for brokerages to unlock cloud

Jeff Wilson, principal analyst, network security, Infonetics Research, said: "When we asked companies what kind of products they are using to combat viruses, spyware and adware, most said they use a mix of host products, gateway appliances, and gateway software, including purchased standalone software products and licensed SaaS clients."

"This phenomenon is one of the biggest drivers for many companies to move to hosted and cloud-based solutions; appliance sprawl and large and unwieldy client deployments are time consuming and expensive, and the promise of moving that headache into the cloud is very tempting," explains Wilson.

Cost is the number-one barrier affecting customer deployment of new content security solutions. The combination of the high cost of multi-box solutions and the current economic environment has driven cost to the top of the list, the study further added.

Zetta launches storage cloud

Respondents show a good increase in plans for virtual appliance deployments. Cisco rates highest overall in user ratings of content security manufacturers, but only by a slight margin for most criteria, followed by Symantec.

The majority of respondents say the current global economic climate is not forcing them to cut content security spending, noting that compliance projects must continue and the fundamental need to protect confidential information and contain threats remains.