In the past, many companies relied on desktop antivirus software to protect against malicious code, but that approach is no longer sufficient on its own, IDC senior analyst Brian Burke told NewsFactor.

Antivirus firm Trend Micro champions a different strategy: The company aims to filter viruses at the corporate gateway, stopping them before they ever reach the desktop.

And IT managers seeking to bolster their defenses against the growing plague of malware seem eager to add this tactic to their arsenal. According to Burke, gateway filtering is the "fastest-growing market for antivirus solutions."

Supporting that contention, IDC has predicted dramatic growth in the Internet gateway market -- 34 percent compounded annually between 2001 and 2006. Right now, Trend Micro leads that market with a 45 percent share, according to Burke.

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