January 29, 2016 By John Wheeler 3 min read

Almost three years have passed since the last one, and with new analyst Martin Whitworth at the helm along with Christopher McClean, Claire O’Malley and Peggy Dotsie, Forrester Research released “The Forrester Wave: Information Security Consulting, Q1 2016.” They recognized IBM Security in the Leader category.

On the heels of our recent achievement being named Leader in the “2015 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Managed Security Services,” we are excited about what we feel is the continued market validation from the security analyst community.

The Forrester Wave reports are data-driven evaluations of software, hardware and services markets. They assess providers in categories such as Current Offering, Strategy and Market Presence, which includes customer input, to determine scoring for the report.

Read ‘The Forrester Wave: Information Security Consulting Services’

Where IBM Security Excels

IBM Security Consulting Services has grown significantly since the last Forrester Wave and has helped fuel the growth of IBM Security. Clients seek consulting services that provide key capabilities, deep solution experience and knowledge and advanced technologies to address the threat environment. Clients are also seeking a trusted partner they can confide in and who will bring forth solutions to address often complicated and complex security issues that leave enterprises exposed to significant risk.

The report highlighted the importance of “capable and trusted partners to help them [CISOs] with a new class of activities:

  • Senior executives and board members need education.
  • The security strategy needs business alignment.
  • The security teams need benchmarks.
  • Supply chain partners and other third parties need oversight.
  • The security program needs measurement.
  • The business needs new technologies.
  • The human factor needs to be involved.”

Forrester evaluated 13 vendors and weighted them across 31 criteria. The following vendor profile for IBM Security appears verbatim in “The Forrester Wave: Information Security Consulting Services, Q1 2016”:

IBM Security Services brings an integrated approach to transforming clients’ security programs. Recent reorganization at IBM reflects a clear focus on security with a business unit dedicated to it. Aiming to help customers undertake complex business transformations securely, IBM Security brings together the company’s consulting, managed service and cloud service offerings. Current clients see IBM’s global coverage, breadth of services, business acumen and flexibility as key strengths — while identifying cost of services and continued attempts to upsell as areas to improve upon. Companies looking for a consulting partner that can do it all and possibly manage it afterwards should consider IBM Security Services.”

This year, IBM Security earned its highest scores in the following areas:

Offering Strategy Market Presence
Satisfaction and Ongoing Relationship
  • Services Delivered
  • Continued Engagement

Business Acumen

  • Account and Delivery Teams
  • Business Alignment

Collaboration

  • Internal and External Collaboration

Knowledge Management

  • Knowledge Transfer

Change Management Skills

  • Implementation
  • Security Culture
Information Security as a Priority
  • Information Security Focus

Business Strategy

  • Business Performance

Offering Development

  • R&D
  • New Offerings
  • Partnership Ecosystems

Staff

  • Staff Retention
  • Staff Training
RevenuesGeographic Spread
Scroll to view full table

IBM Consulting Differentiated

Among vendors evaluated, IBM Security is the only company that is ranked as a Leader in both “The Forrester Wave: Information Security Consulting Services, Q1 2016” and “2015 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Managed Security Services.” We are unique in that regard; it’s a key differentiator and it exemplifies IBM Security as a leading end-to-end security vendor in the marketplace.

IBM Security Consulting Services & Systems Integration provides global services, from security intelligence to operations capabilities, and delivers industry-leading assessments, strategies and solutions to many of the world’s largest enterprises. As the demand to safeguard an enterprise’s crown jewels and protect personal privacy continues to intensify, chief security officers, corporate executives and board members need a trusted ally in cybersecurity.

IBM Security continues to build the most comprehensive set of security consulting capabilities in the industry to serve our clients’ most challenging needs. Our experts are deployed around the world and are ready to serve our clients in a variety of needs. Whether it’s conducting an assessment, defining a strategy, building a security road map, setting up a security operations center (SOC), integrating complex security products, transitioning to the cloud or managing through the skills shortage, IBM Security has the expertise to deliver client success.

Download ‘The Forrester Wave: Information Security Consulting Services, Q1 2016’

DISCLAIMER: The Forrester Wave™ is copyrighted by Forrester Research, Inc. Forrester and Forrester Wave™ are trademarks of Forrester Research, Inc. The Forrester Wave™ is a graphical representation of Forrester’s call on a market and is plotted using a detailed spreadsheet with exposed scores, weightings, and comments. Forrester does not endorse any vendor, product, or service depicted in the Forrester Wave. Information is based on best available resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change.

More from Intelligence & Analytics

X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2024 reveals stolen credentials as top risk, with AI attacks on the horizon

4 min read - Every year, IBM X-Force analysts assess the data collected across all our security disciplines to create the IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index, our annual report that plots changes in the cyber threat landscape to reveal trends and help clients proactively put security measures in place. Among the many noteworthy findings in the 2024 edition of the X-Force report, three major trends stand out that we’re advising security professionals and CISOs to observe: A sharp increase in abuse of valid accounts…

Web injections are back on the rise: 40+ banks affected by new malware campaign

8 min read - Web injections, a favored technique employed by various banking trojans, have been a persistent threat in the realm of cyberattacks. These malicious injections enable cyber criminals to manipulate data exchanges between users and web browsers, potentially compromising sensitive information. In March 2023, security researchers at IBM Security Trusteer uncovered a new malware campaign using JavaScript web injections. This new campaign is widespread and particularly evasive, with historical indicators of compromise (IOCs) suggesting a possible connection to DanaBot — although we…

Accelerating security outcomes with a cloud-native SIEM

5 min read - As organizations modernize their IT infrastructure and increase adoption of cloud services, security teams face new challenges in terms of staffing, budgets and technologies. To keep pace, security programs must evolve to secure modern IT environments against fast-evolving threats with constrained resources. This will require rethinking traditional security strategies and focusing investments on capabilities like cloud security, AI-powered defense and skills development. The path forward calls on security teams to be agile, innovative and strategic amidst the changes in technology…

Topic updates

Get email updates and stay ahead of the latest threats to the security landscape, thought leadership and research.
Subscribe today