Security roundup: AT&T, Verizon, Lumen join forces in security coalition

In this security roundup: AT&T, Verizon and Lumen among service providers and vendors joining forces in a new security coalition. Enterprise spending on data center security services has decreased in favor of investing in network security on-premises and at remote worker locations, reports Dell'Oro Group.

Network Resilience Coalition takes on data, network security

AT&T, Lumen Technologies and Verizon are among a group of service providers and vendors taking part in the new Network Resilience Coalition tasked with improving data and network security.

Founding members of the coalition also include Broadcom, BT Group, Cisco, Fortinet, Intel, Juniper Networks, Palo Alto Networks and VMware. The group will focus on assisting organizations in updating hardware and software, plus gaining more visibility into their networks to combat security threats.

"The Center has a broad security mission, but at least for now, it wants the Resilience group to focus on routers, switches and firewalls that are older, may have reached end-of-life vendor support, or have been overlooked for security patching or replacement," reported Network World.

The Center for Cybersecurity Policy and Law, which formed the coalition, explained that members plan to publish a report with recommendations for "improving network security, for technology providers, technology users, and those creating or regulating security policy."

The Center added that this alliance brings together technology providers, security experts and service providers to create actionable solutions to improve "the security of data and networks that support our global economic and national security."

Enterprise spending on data center security declines

Enterprise spending on data center security services has decreased in favor of investing in network security on-premises and at remote worker locations, according to Dell'Oro Group.

The research firm adjusted its projection for network security sales to reach $144 billion by 2027; in January 2023, Dell'Oro forecast a peak of $142 billion.

Senior Director Mauricio Sanchez noted that data center security spend on technology such as "high-end firewalls and web application firewalls" increased during the COVID-19 pandemic as enterprises increased their reliance on cloud services. Dell'Oro also reduced its forecast for the five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for high-end firewalls by 1%, which accounts for a $3 billion reduction.

Over the 2023-2027 period, web application firewall revenue is predicted to decline by $355 million, and mid- and low-end firewall revenue could increase by $2 billion.

However, spending on data center security is now trending downward and will likely "do so for the next couple of years," explained Sanchez.

"Instead, we see an increased focus towards the campus and ensuring employees have the best possible online experience, whether in the office or remotely," said Dell'Oro's Sanchez, in a statement. "While security service edge (SSE) has been and is expected to remain strong for remote work, we raised our forecast for mid- and low-end firewalls that are being deployed on-premises."

Dell'Oro also forecasts that over the next five years, SSE revenue could increase by more than $1 billion, and the network security market is predicted to experience low double-digit CAGR.

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— Kelsey Kusterer Ziser, Senior Editor, Light Reading