The enterprise security market is about to make a nice move, with total investment forecast to grow 8.7 percent next year, providing good opportunities for resellers in particular.

Analyst firm Canalys that growth will help the market hit a value of $22.9 million worldwide in 2012. The anti-virus segment, currently accounting for 11.3 percent of the total market, will remain one of the strongest parts of the security industry next year, and is expected to increase by 6.8% year-on-year. Though a mature technology, AV software continues to drive revenue for many resellers, both large and small. It is the first step most small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) take in securing their infrastructure.

Canalys anticipates that results in the SMB market will define security-vendor leadership. Smaller vendors are working to displace Symantec, McAfee and Trend Micro in this segment, thanks to their noted reputations in the consumer space. Kaspersky Lab, one of the fastest growing AV vendors, is using its strong retailer relationships and powerful consumer brand to successfully confront incumbents for example. Other vendors, such as Panda Security, F-Secure, ESET and AVG, are increasingly gaining market share, posing a serious threat to top-tier vendors.

"Demand for AV technologies varies depending on customer size," said Canalys Research analyst Nushin Hernandez. "SMBs are typically looking for base-level protection from online threats, while larger organizations generally have clear security strategies in place."

Hernandez said that SMBs don’t usually consider themselves to be the target of hackers, but they should. "… security risks to business of all sizes are prevalent."

Among the SMB IT security-market trends Canalys is watching in 2012: Consumer buying patterns and behaviors will dominate SMB security spending; vendors will increasingly sell solutions through their online stores; so-called "freemium" offerings will further disrupt the security market; vendors will continue to integrate more advanced solutions into endpoint products; and SaaS will attract more SMB customers.