From: Gary Porter <grporterat_private> Study projects hot growth for network firewalls FRAMINGHAM, Mass. (Reuters) - Sales of firewall software, the programs that protect computer networks against unauthorized users or viruses, are projected to grow to $1.8 billion by 2002, according to a report by research firm International Data Corporation. But revenue growth in the firewall market will gradually slow over the next few years, after the market surged by 143 percent from 1996 to 1997, IDC said. "For all these rosy forecasts, we believe the firewall market and all its major vendors are migrating toward a broader orientation," said Chris Christiansen of IDC, in a statement. IDC said that in the short term, firewalls will become platforms for the deployment of other products, such as corporate security suites. "Longer term, the firewall will diminish as a distinct market and become a feature of other products," IDC said. Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq:CHKPF) was the top firewall vendor in 1997, with a 23 percent share of the market, IDC said. Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:CSCO) was second with a 19 percent share, and AXENT Technologies Inc., which owns software maker Raptor Systems, garnered seven percent. The recent growth in the sector was driven by businesses upgrading their firewalls as the Internet matured and by a demand for multiple Internet firewalls to provide companies with high availability and throughput. Firewall software restricts the flow of information between a company's network and the Internet in order to keep sensitive information private. -o- Subscribe: mail majordomoat_private with "subscribe isn". Today's ISN Sponsor: New Dimensions International [www.newdimensions.net]
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