Big Yellow loses its head... again: Symantec, we need to talk

Changing the name of their company and products would actually be the biggest thing they could do to improve revenue. No IT person who knows what they are doing will buy Symantec or Norton AV even if their current products have improved.

Fix what's broken

Salem got the boot cos Backup Exec 2012 was a POS. Newsflash: IT STILL IS!

Still the same hated UI, still no support for Server 2012 media servers, still bloated and inconsistent and still a far worse product than it's predecessor. Support is atrocious and getting worse

The last time I dealt with Symantec it was because a customer had bought workstation licences to run on their servers. I was trying to correct the mistake and buy 80 far more expensive server licences Think I could get Symantec to work out how to do that - or even get the sales rep to return my calls? In the end I had to just artefact all the attempts made to correct the mistake, put the budget back into the black and worried about things I could actually influence.

What is a virus? A virus is a piece of software, designed to run unobtrusively, that takes over your entire system, makes it run like poo, and occasionally will wipe out critical files.

What is Norton Anti-Virus? A piece of software, designed to run unobtrusively, that takes over your entire system, makes it run like poo, and will occasionally wipe out critical files.

Hmmm....

Really?

Buy Commvault? Buy Veeam? And do what with the two largest backup products in the world which, by the way, are as good if not better than both Commvault and Veeam?

The problem is execution and, more specifically, people - not product or technology. The promised cull of managers never really happened - it was mainly front line people who were ousted and the directors and especially VP's left behind are the same people doing the same things as they have always done so why would it ever change?

Symantec?

You must be out of your mind if you use Symantec.

Its the EA Games of AV!!

Norton/Symantec

Folks,

I own a small computer retail/repair business. After using several antivirus apps the only one I can give a stamp of approval on is the basic Norton Antivirus. I've tried them all. I install the Pro version of Malwarebytes and the Basic version of Norton. $60 US in total and there are very few issues. Out of every 500 hundred installs I may see one or two minor issues. Forget all free AV.

Most people that I run into that have issues with using Norton used it 10 years ago or try to install it on a computer that is already in very bad condition. I sell and promote what works. My customers come back every year and have it renewed. Malwarebytes has lifetime updates once you buy the Pro version.

Remember Norton Antivirus is for viruses and Malwarebytes is for everything else. I have two in college and after installing this combo they have not had one problem with viruses, malware, or spyware. Malwarebytes is NOT antivirus and will run without issue with Norton. I install them together all of the time. Malwarebytes is made to run along side most antivirus software.

This is what works for me and my customers. I suggest you try it on a computer that is in good working condition.

Try this: Go back and re-read the very first analyst call w/ Bennett

Steve Bennett is a sharp guy. He embraces hard business challenges which address customers' unmet needs. Bennett was right to focus on business strategy early on, but many observers seemed a little surprised that the Symantec 4.0 "solution" skipped right over the problem of the awkward product portfolio. The notions of low R&D accountability, little/no innovation, and a bloated staff? All of that was obvious to analysts and holders, there was no need for a study period. Sell-side analysts, almost unanimously, felt on day one of the Bennett era that the product portfolio and expensive and ill-focused M&A were to blame for the malaise since 2005, following the close of the Veritas deal. (Acquisitions that followed that one were often as bad, and numerous.) So as the Bennett era unfolded we asked how long to wait for divestitures, addition-by-subtraction, and more importantly, where was the explicit plan to confront and manage secular risk associated with the sweeping decline of Windows PC technology? That was the reason that Salem was let go, or so we thought.

To be continued... the deferred revenue account on March 31 isn't going to be pretty.