UK behind western European security sales spike

Regional security appliance market jumps almost 10 per cent annually

Strong demand in the UK for security appliances has helped the western European market rocket almost 10 per cent annually in Q1.

According to IDC, the global market grew 7.5 per cent year on year to $2.3bn (£1.5bn) in Q1, marking the 22nd quarter in a row of growth. Over the same period, unit shipments shot up 9.4 per cent to 526,767 – the sixth consecutive growth quarter in terms of volume.

The US was the fastest-growing market – revenue jumped 15.6 per cent annually in Q1 – but western Europe was not far behind, with its sales up 9.8 per cent over the same period.

IDC said that was partly down to strong performance in the UK.

"Revenue growth was driven primarily by strong results in the UK and Germany, with 24 per cent and 21.4 per cent regional market share respectively," IDC said.

IDC senior researcher Ebenezer Obeng-Nyarkoh said a more threatening security landscape was also driving the market.

"Today's threat environment is extremely dynamic and continues to change exponentially," he said. "The growing volume and sophistication of cyberattacks has created an environment where integrating disparate security solutions is required to protect sensitive business and personal information, as well as to safeguard national security."