Blockage for spam filtering vendors
Predicted shake-out in sector to leave fewer than 10 firms in business
More than 30 enterprise spam filtering vendors will no longer be in operation or will have changed their focus by 2005, leaving fewer than 10 still in business, according to analyst Gartner.
Its Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Spam Filtering report has claimed the industry will see "dramatic consolidation" during the first quarter of 2005, as various vendors either fail, are acquired or thrive.
But Gartner did not identify the firms it believes will survive the shake-out.
The report predicted that in the next nine months, most vendor-competitive positions will "change significantly" because of altering market dynamics and some vendors' inability to deliver best-of-breed functionality to fight spam.
Arabella Hallawell, research director at Gartner, said: "Enterprises require sophisticated detection engines. If legitimate business email is blocked, or a solution is too restrictive for an enterprise culture, it's not viable."
The analyst has identified CipherTrust, FrontBridge Technologies, Brightmail and Postini as leaders in the enterprise spam-filtering field, with close challengers being Trend Micro and Network Associates.
Other vendors, including SurfControl, Clearswift, and Sophos, are grouped in the Niche Players or Visionaries categories.
Maurene Caplan Grey, research director at Gartner, said: "While many enterprise spam-filtering vendors will be gone or will refocus their technologies, enterprises can't afford to delay decisions. Their problems with spam are too enormous."
Sean O'Brien, managing director of VAR DVV Solutions, said: "A lot of vendors don't view spam-filtering as a target market.
"It is easier for them to say they will add it onto an existing product, rather than sell it as a standalone product. With vendors such as Clearswift including anti-spam technology free of charge, they are setting a precedent."