Symantec Forms Organization Dedicated to SMBs

Symantec Corporation has
completed the formation of an organization dedicated entirely to
SMBs and the partners who serve them, with a focus on making it easy for SMBs
to protect their information and move their business forward.

New and emerging businesses contribute a significant percentage of the products and services that transform the way we work, live, and play
today. However, SMBs are faced with challenges that can prevent
them from being the unfettered engines of growth.

The abundance of technology and barrage of information can create opportunity
while at the same time bring perplexity and greater risk. In fact, 71%
of SMBs that suffer from a cyber-attack never recover. And
according to Symantec’s recent Internet Security Threat Report, 18% of all
targeted attacks are directed at businesses with 250 or fewer employees. What’s
worse, because of the importance of connectivity and collaboration through web,
email, social networks and online applications, their behavior also makes them
four times more at risk of malware attacks than their larger counterparts.

However despite increased risk, for some SMBs, buying, deploying and
managing security, storage and backup systems is just too complicated for them
to devote the time, money and energy. So they cross their fingers and wing it.

Symantec began SMB specific initiatives
last Fall and has completed the creation of a dedicated SMB team whose mission
is to redefine how SMBs safeguard their information by providing protection – from web browsing and online transactions, to email and
collaboration, to backup and recovery – in a way that’s easy to purchase, deploy,
manage and support.

Led by group president Rowan Trollope, the new organization
brings together SMB experts who not only understand the needs of SMBs
and the partners who sell to them, but are focused on serving, enabling,
helping and protecting this business community around the world.
Working together, the team is channeling their passion and knowledge
into the design and delivery of Symantec’s SMB products; marketing,
communication and support; as well as delivering white-glove treatment to
partners with hands-on enablement and financial incentives.

Information Protection Specifically for SMBs
Today’s
SMBs are looking for speed, ease of deployment and an amazing user experience,
which is why Symantec is simplifying its SMB product portfolio to
make it easier than ever to buy, set-up, manage and receive support for products. SMB customers using Symantec’s on-premise and cloud SMB
solutions can be up and running within 20 minutes or less, making information
protection fast and easy so customers can focus on innovation and growing their
business. In addition, Symantec’s SMB team is developing new solutions that
will address emerging business needs, integrate technologies, deliver a more
dynamic user experience, and simplify the overall purchasing and subscription
process. These solutions are slated to be rolled out through the second half of
2012.

Incentive Programs Tailored for SMB Partners
The company also
recognizes the opportunities for the many partners that serve the SMB
market, and offers customized programs and substantial sales incentives to help
them gain a competitive advantage and accelerate their business. In addition to
the Symantec Partner Program, Symantec’s MSP strategy makes it easier and
cost effective to deliver and manage security and backup solutions as managed
services through integrations with leading remote monitoring and management
(RMM) platforms and cloud-based offerings. Further, a recently enhanced SMB specialization
program enables all partners who achieve specialization in the security track,
backup track, or both can attain benefits such as free technical
support and increased profits through substantial margin.

Partners recognize its partner program and
support, a validation that the company is meeting the needs of its
partner community. Symantec received the 2012 ChannelPro-SMB Readers’ Choice
Award in the category of Best Security Vendor, which is awarded by the
publication’s readers – VARs, MSPs, system integrators, custom builders, and IT
consultants in the channel – who selected the winners based on the vendor’s
ability to best satisfy the unique business requirements, work styles, and
budgets of their SMB clients, as well as those that best serve their own
partner organizations. In addition, Symantec was named a 2012 Channel Champion,
sweeping the Client Security and Backup/Recovery Software categories.

"In today’s connected
world, SMBs are especially vulnerable and need to consider how to best protect
their technology and information," said Rowan Trollope, group
president of SMB and cloud, Symantec. "Some
SMBs are protected, but many aren’t. Complacency is one reason small businesses
often fail to protect themselves, complexity is another. Whatever the reason,
Symantec’s new SMB team is working around the clock to protect the information
that fuels the livelihood of this important community around the world."

"Our SMB partners are critical in helping Symantec expand our reach to
today’s information-savvy SMBs, providing them with the solutions they need to
protect their information," said John Eldh, VP of channel sales
Americas, Symantec. "We are fully
committed to enabling and supporting our ecosystem of partners, helping them
position themselves as industry leaders and grow their business by providing
integrated solutions that specifically address their SMB customers’ data
protection and management needs."

"We continue to be impressed with Symantec’s
SMB solutions," said Spencer Ferguson, president and CEO, Wasatch I.T.
"Symantec Endpoint Protection 12
Small Business Edition and Backup Exec 2012 Small Business Edition have been
well received by our customers. SMBs are looking for products that are easy to
deploy and offer great protection and management features that will keep their
critical business information safe. SMBs don’t always have the time or
resources to devote to IT, and these products from Symantec are easy for our
customers to use, and offer the features they need to successfully run their
business."