Spending on security software and appliances among GCC states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE) shot up by more than 36% in 2005 to pass $111 mln in 2006 and will grow by nearly 38% in 2007. Threat management dominated the GCC security software and appliance market in 2005, followed by secure content management in second place and identity and access management in third. Together, these three areas accounted for more than 87% of spending in the GCC in 2005. Representing more than 56% of spending, threat management was tightly linked to the appliance side of the market, and investments in TM appliances jumped by more than 85%. Identity and access management was also hot, with spending in the segment expanding by nearly 66%, IDC reports.