IDC Roadshow tackles threats to IT security

The perception of IT security has evolved significantly over the years, from single-product perimeter-based security to an integrated approach of security processes necessary to plan, assess, build, and manage secure network infrastructures and comprehensive security programs. Companies are looking to integrate security into the broader IT infrastructure by assessing their security architectures, implementing the right policies, securing all layers of technology, and cutting operational costs by outsourcing management of their security infrastructure.

"The sophistication of the threat landscape, stringent regulatory requirements, the complex technology environment, and the potential impacts that security vulnerabilities present to corporations have forced companies to invest heavily in IT Security," says Ranjit Rajan, senior research manager, Software, IDC MEA and Turkey. "As such, we expect IT Security to be one of the technology markets that will show resilience and demonstrate relatively high growth rates during the impending economic downturn in 2009 and 2010."

Indeed, the emerging economies of the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey have played host to a rapid adoption of IT Security technologies over the past few years, with total spending on IT Security software alone in the region reaching $335 million in 2007, a figure that is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 14% through 2012. Meanwhile, spending on IT Security appliances is tipped to reach at least a similar size.

IDC's IT Security Roadshow will embrace this era of expansion and drive discussions around the future direction, changing priorities, new capabilities, and upcoming technologies that are going to shape IT Security in the coming years. It will feature addresses from some of the region's most respected IT Security professionals, covering a range of topics such as the evolution of endpoint security, corporate data loss and its threat to knowledge-based businesses, the danger of "Crime 2.0" and other emerging threats, compliance and its implications for IT security, messaging security in the era of Web 2.0, and the convergence of security, systems, storage, and network management.

Following the undoubted success of their involvement in last year's event, IDC is proud to have once again teamed up with global information technology giant IBM and international information security software vendor Kaspersky Lab for the IT Security Roadshow 2009, whilst a host of other partnership opportunities also remain available for each of the conference venues.

If you are interested in participating in this exciting conference series or require information about partnership opportunities or any other aspect of the event, please contact Ronita Bhattacharjee, conference director for IDC MEA and Turkey, at or on +971 4 391 2747.

The full schedule for IDC Middle East, Africa, and Turkey's IT Security Roadshow 2009 is:

• February 17 - Istanbul (Bosphorus Swissotel)
  
• March 18 - Ankara (Sheraton Ankara)
  
• April 9 - Casablanca (Hyatt Regency)
  
• April 15 - Lagos (Protea Hotel)
  
• April 22 - Nairobi (Hilton Nairobi)
  
• April 29 - Johannesburg (Hilton Sandton)
  
• October 19 - Dubai (Grand Hyatt)
  
• October 26 - Riyadh (Four Seasons)