2 Security Stocks to Watch Amid the Industry Weakness

Organizations are pushing back their investments in big and expensive technology products on growing global slowdown concerns amid the current macroeconomic challenges and geopolitical tensions, thereby making the outlook for the Zacks Security industry gloomy. Of late, supply-chain disruptions, component shortages and product cost inflation are some headwinds players in the space have been encountering. These, along with elevated operating expenses related to hiring new employees, and sales and marketing strategies to capture more market share, are likely to strain margins in the near term.

Despite such concerns, industry participants like Qualys, Inc. QLYS and Absolute Software Corporation ABST are likely to benefit from the rising need for IT security solutions due to a surge in the number of data breaches. Increasing requirements for privileged access security due to digital transformation and cloud migration strategies are also fueling the demand for cybersecurity solutions.

Industry Description

The Zacks Security industry comprises companies offering on-premise and cloud-based security solutions. The solutions can be used for identity access management, infrastructure protection, integrated risk management, malware analysis and Internet traffic management, to name a few. Industry participants offer different types of security solutions, most of which can be used interchangeably. These solutions can be roughly categorized into three types — Computer Security, Cybersecurity and Information Security. Computer Security solutions provide protection from vulnerabilities in both the software and hardware of a computer system. Cybersecurity includes sections like web security, network security, application security, container security and information security. Information Security is concerned with any form of data-security issue, be it physical or digital data.

Major Trends Shaping the Future of the Security Industry

Rising Cyber Threats Boost Demand for IT Security: Frequent cyberattacks are spurring the demand for security solutions. This trend has not only affected certain companies but also threatened the national security of some countries. The prevailing global health crisis…