Trainer Communications' Survey Says: Information Security Vendors and Enterprise Buyers Are Not on the Same Page

PLEASANTON, CA--(Marketwire - May 27, 2009) - According to a survey conducted at RSA 2009 by Trainer Communications, a premier provider of integrated marketing and high-tech public relations services, the economic downturn has created a potentially harmful communication gap. The survey revealed that while vendors are relying heavily on partners and Google/Yahoo ad words to promote products, buyers are turning to online publications and their peers to learn about products and services to combat threats. The impact: vendor marketing dollars spent in the wrong place result in lower revenues and limit the information available to enterprises when making buying decisions.

For the survey, 75 attendees were asked how the economy is impacting marketing and buying decisions. The results were eye-opening. When asked what the greatest impact of reduced marketing budgets will be for the information security industry, the survey revealed that:

--  49 percent of vendors responded that they will have to rely more on
    their partners to help get information out to buyers about products and
    services, whereas 35 percent of enterprise buyers will rely on their peers
    for information.
    
--  24 percent of enterprise buyers will rely more on product trials once
    they have identified products that can meet their needs.
    

Bottom line: Reduced marketing budgets are increasing the pressure on partners and information security peers to take on the responsibility of educating buyers. The lack of information and limited resources for product trials will result in wrong purchasing decisions that jeopardize security.

The survey also revealed that:

--  59 percent of enterprise buyers will rely on online security
    publications to learn about threats, products and services, while only 30
    percent of the vendors will rely on this communication channel to educate
    buyers.
    
--  25 percent of vendors will rely on the Internet and Google/Yahoo ads
    to attract buyers to their website to learn about new products and
    services, but only 12 percent of enterprise buyers will rely on the
    Internet and Google/Yahoo to gather product and service information.
    

Bottom line: Security vendors and enterprise buyers are not on the same page. With a gap in communications, vendors will be spending precious marketing dollars in the wrong place. This not only will result in lower revenues but also limits the information available to enterprises when making buying decisions.

Not a surprise, the survey also revealed that the use of the social media darling Twitter is on the rise for both vendors and enterprise buyers.

--  33 percent of vendors and 24 percent of enterprise buyers will rely on
    Twitter to share information about products and services.
    

Bottom line: Twitter will help fill in the communication gap and will take on a more critical role as the community network for enterprise buyers and sellers in 2009.

"We always strive to meet the communication needs of the market. As public relations professionals, it is our responsibility to stay on top of the market from all perspectives -- buyers, vendors, and influencers -- to maximize marketing dollars while ensuring that product information is delivered at the right time and through the right channels," said Mary Van Zandt, vice president, Information Security Practice for Trainer Communications. "The realities uncovered in our survey will cause significant changes in buyer and vendor behavior in 2009. While social media sources such as Twitter will become even more critical as communication networks for sharing information, online information security publications and business news sources can't be neglected or vendors will miss out on an opportunity to promote their products to 59 percent of their target customers."

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About Trainer Communications, Inc.

Trainer Communications is the premier provider of integrated marketing and high-tech public relations services. Specializing in technology, the agency offers deep domain expertise across data infrastructure, information security, optical and wireless communications, enterprise software, networking, and consumer industries. Trainer represents emerging and high-growth technology companies that lack the market recognition and visibility needed to meet business objectives and is the only agency that guarantees quantifiable results with its Metrics Matter™ methodology. Established in 1995, Trainer has represented more than 200 companies including one-third that resulted in a positive liquidity event. Notable successes include Brocade, Cloudscape, CrossWorlds, G-Log, Itronix, ONStor, Oblix, Sygate, Trigo, Versata, and WhereNet. Based in Silicon Valley with nationwide coverage, the agency has received numerous awards, including the 2008 Bulldog Award for PR Innovation of the Year, the 2008 Iron Sabre Certificate of Excellence for Product of the Year, the 2008 MarCom Gold Award for Best Publicity Campaign, and the 2007 PRSA Silver Anvil Award for Community Relations Campaign of the Year. For more information, visit www.trainercomm.com.

Contact Information: Contact: Joe Franscella Trainer Communications 510-206-1243 sec@trainercomm.com