If you expect that increasing
malware and
security threats means increased hiring at companies that combat them, you’d be both right and wrong. Among the industry stalwarts -- the likes of
Microsoft, AVAST,
Symantec and
McAfee – some are hiring while others are letting people go. The reason is the dramatic changes impacting the industry. First, there’s the financial: A crop of new companies is benefiting from lower costs of entry and cloud-based setups. For example, San Jose, Calif.-based Malwarebytes grew its staff by 70 percent in 2012 and 93 percent during the first 10 months of 2013. Another, FireEye,
tripled the size of its headquarters in Milpitas, Calif., in 2012 to make room for more people. According to an SEC filing in March, headcount increased from more than 175 employees in December 2011 to over 1,600 at the end of 2013. And the company still expects headcount to grow.
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Changing Dynamics
A shift from paid to free models and a move away from retail and PC agreements has also shaken things up. In October 2013, avast! Free Antivirus was the leading product with real time protection, with a market share of 19.6 percent. That’s according to the San Francisco-based software company OPSWAT, which provides security software development tools. Microsoft’s Security Essentials and Windows Defender were next with 17.2 percent and 7.8 percent shares, respectively. The other products posting more than a 4 percent share included Avira Free Antivirus, AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition and ESET Smart Security.
Restructuring and Layoffs
Partly as a result, some of the sector’s well-known names are restructuring their operations to focus on free products and the growing market in
mobile security. Others are streamlining operations and laying off due to the increasing competition. In January, Intel-owned McAfee announced it was
rebranding itself Intel Security and launching a plan to offer free products. In mid 2013, Symantec
laid off about 8 percent of its workforce. More recently, it fired President and CEO Steve Bennett.
Industry Hiring
So who’s adding people? One sure way to find out is to follow the money. In February, Czech Republic-based AVAST Software announced that CVC Capital Partners, a London private equity firm,
was making a major investment in the company. In a conversation with Dice, CEO Vincent Steckler said that CVC “bought 40 percent of the company from existing shareholders.” The investment, valuing AVAST at $1 billion, will “position the company to expand its global reach into mobile security and the USA,” according to a press release. Steckler admits this is a “crowded space” to be in, but argues that AVAST has what he sees as “first-mover advantage.” The company hired about 350 people worldwide in 2013, and Steckler tells Dice that it plans to hire some 500 more globally in 2014. About 50 to 70 of these will be in the U.S. The majority are expected to be in
R&D on the Windows side, while others will work on projects related to specialized security products and services. Steckler says to expect hiring for
Android and
iOS developers and
Big Data scientists, too. Meanwhile, Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab is ready to add people, with
plans to hire many more regional field reps in 2014. The company reported its workforce grew to more than 2,800 people in 2013, compared to 2,300 in 2011. Kaspersky is hiring
analysts,
engineers and
sales and marketing people at its Woburn, Mass., location. Meanwhile, McAfee has jobs posted for engineers,
developers and
project managers, with the bulk in its Santa Clara, Calif., offices.
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