The report says there are significant differences between verticals, such as defining business pain points, as well as the drivers and concerns for deploying this particular software.

SCM is no longer just about spam. For vendors it's a global, US$5 billion-plus market covering spyware, phishing and other malicious code.

IDC Australia security solutions market analyst, Patrik Bihammar said due to these vertical differences, vendors must have a good understanding of industry-specific trends, drivers, regulations, spending intentions and business processes in order to be successful in selling to various verticals.

"While finance, telecommunications and government are high-spending verticals, vendors should also look for opportunities outside these segments in order to grow and maintain market share," Bihammar said.

"The markets of manufacturing, services, healthcare and education are all attractive segments. They are, however, smaller in size and the opportunity in some verticals is limited.