Secure by DesignMarket Forces & Effects
Front
The software industry isn't a free and fair market — not when it comes to security.
High switching costs, vendor lock-in, and market concentration reduce competition. Information asymmetries prevent buyers from assessing product security. The result is a classic market failure:
Secure software is underproduced
Private costs to manufacturers are low
External costs are borne by customers and national security
Until incentives shift, the market will reward unsafe software.
Back
Discussion prompts
- What market pressures in your industry make it hard to prioritize security over features?
- How does vendor lock-in affect customer ability to choose more secure software alternatives?
- What would need to change in your market for secure software to have a competitive advantage?