Security Deployment Leads Strong Network Growth Plans in Western Europe

SAN JOSE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Feb. 13, 2001–Infonetics Research’s latest market research study, “Network Technology Adoption Forecasts, Europe 2001,” shows growth in almost every area of network build-out among organizations in Western Europe, particularly in security technologies and services. The results of this study closely parallel those found in a study Infonetics Research published just a few weeks ago on the U.S. and Canadian markets.

The study, released today, examines a cross-section of organizations in France, Germany, Spain, the U.K., and Scandinavia (Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark) to measure how far networking and Internet technologies and services have penetrated in these countries, and provides adoption forecasts through 2005. The study compares adoption levels among these European organizations, and compares European levels to those in the U.S. and Canada.

Based on interviews with 1,510 organizations, the study provides a clear picture of current and future adoption rates for core networking technologies, including:

— Computers and Internet access

— WANs, managed and unmanaged, and LANs

— Voice on the LAN and WAN

— VPNs for remote access, site-to-site, and extranets

— Optical connections

— Remote access networks, managed and unmanaged

— Security, managed and unmanaged

— Web and application hosting

— Network management

The major growth areas will be technologies and services that allow users to squeeze more from the pipes they are buying: broadband access technologies, VPNs, security products and services, e-business infrastructure products, and the management and provisioning tools and services that hold the network together.

“There are many opportunities for network product manufacturers and service providers in Europe, as user demand there is not unlike demand in the U.S.,” says Jeff Wilson, Senior Analyst and Executive Director of Infonetics Research. “Around the world, end-users are looking to protect their networks, lower communications costs, and use networks as a tool to streamline business processes and increase revenues, with the end goal of remaining competitive.”

Data samples from the study:

— In several regions, there is a fairly large gap between connection to the Internet and use of firewalls, which presents a large opportunity for security vendors over the next several years

— The Scandinavian countries lead in the adoption of high speed access technologies such as DSL and broadband wireless

— Site-to-site VPN adoption rates range through the teens in 2000, but grow steadily; VPNs are popular in Europe, where they form a good alternative to expensive leased lines

— Adoption of remote access VPNs among the European respondents is growing strongly between now and 2005

For press inquiries, contact Jeff Wilson at jeff@infonetics.com. For details, including the study’s table of contents and study excerpts, please e-mail kim@infonetics.com.

To purchase this study, contact Larry Howard, vice president, at 408/298-7999 ext. 225 or larry@infonetics.com, or Paul Ruggeri, director of Sales at 401/826-2160 or paul@infonetics.com.