Symantec Announces Winning School in Norton Cyber Safe Challenge

Symantec Corp. announced today the winners of its Norton Cyber Safe Challenge, a national contest spotlighting online safety. The $20,000 Grand Prize was awarded to Signal Hill Elementary in Voorhees, N.J. for securing the highest number of parents who agreed to take the Challenge and registered for Norton’s free online safety service, OnlineFamily.Norton.

More than 500 schools across the country competed in the Norton Cyber Safe Challenge, which began on October 1, to coincide with National Cyber Security Awareness Month, and ended on November 15. The Challenge encouraged parents to protect their kids from Internet dangers by signing up for OnlineFamily.Norton, a unique online family safety solution that fosters dialogue between parents and kids about their activities on the Internet.

Second and third place prizes of $10,000 and $5,000 were presented to the Academy for Science and Design in Merrimack, N.H. and the Academy Elementary in Westminster, Colo. for registering the highest percentage of parents relative to school size.

With everything from games to virtual worlds to homework assignments all online, kids are spending more time navigating the Internet and many parents are struggling to keep up. In fact, according to the 2009 Norton Online Living Report, almost half of online parents in the U.S. (47%) have reprimanded their child for doing something online they don’t approve of.

“Parents need to take the necessary steps to protect their children from online threats,” said Marian Merritt, Norton’s Internet Safety Advocate. “We are proud of the parents at Signal Hill Elementary for making the effort to protect their kids online and help their school at the same time. We hope these schools are an inspiration to other parents.”

“All of this started with my efforts to protect my daughter form Internet dangers. I found OnlineFamily.Norton was exactly what I needed so I started telling other parents. Now, most of the children at our school are protected as well,” said Kim Stroemel, president of the Signal Hill Elementary Parent Faculty Association. “As if that isn’t enough, we’ll now be able to give our children a new playground with the prize money. The kids will benefit both online and offline.”

To Purchase Symantec Products visit http://www.gosymantec.com

Latest Norton Ghost is Windows 7 Compatible and Offers Blu-ray Disc Support

Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC), makers of Norton security software, announced today the worldwide release of Norton Ghost 15, one of the industry’s most advanced PC backup and recovery solutions. Windows 7 compatible Norton Ghost 15 now offers 25G and 50G Blu-ray Disc support. This version also introduces a new cold imaging feature that images computers without installing the product. In addition, Norton Ghost uses Symantec’s powerful ThreatCon indicator to automatically back up PCs in the event of a severe security threat.

Norton Ghost 15 is a robust and professional-grade backup solution for both home users and small businesses. With Norton Ghost, lost or damaged files can be recovered and restored in the event of a system failure, even if the computer’s operating system does not start. It also allows backup of an entire system or specific files and folders while saving recovery points to offsite locations using FTP. Norton Ghost is also flexible, allowing users to decide when to back up their system, either on a schedule or based on an event.

“Norton Ghost has been the essential imaging and recovery product since 1996,” said Dave Cole, senior director of consumer products, Symantec. “Consumers PCs have never been more central to people’s lives, or more at risk due to cybercrime and critical failures. Ghost 15 not only is a powerful disaster recovery tool, but also it adds important features such as Windows 7 compatibility and Blu-ray Disc support to keep current with the way people are using their computers today.”

In addition, Norton Ghost works with both 25G and 50G Blu-ray Discs and most storage drives, including external hard drives, networked drives, and recordable and rewritable CDs and DVDs. It also includes a hot backups feature, which lets users back up their computers without having to shut it down first. Norton Ghost is also supported by Windows 7 Bitlocker, providing enhanced data protection through drive encryption and integrity checking, keeping stored data safe and protected.

Norton Ghost 15 now also includes cold imaging technology, which backs up files without installing the product, saving users time and money. After purchasing a new computer, users can image the PC immediately before any software is loaded so that factory settings remain intact. Also, cold imaging allows easy back up of a system by simply booting to the recovery environment (a light version of the Windows operating system) from the Norton Ghost CD, and then initiating a backup.

Backing up isn’t just about saving files from accidental data loss; these days computers can fall prey to damage from cybercriminals. That’s why Norton Ghost 15 leverages Symantec’s ThreatCon, which uses intelligence from Symantec Security Response to automatically backup files whenever the landscape reaches a specific threat level.

To Purchase Symantec Products visit http://www.gosymantec.com

Symantec’s Norton Online Backup will Help Acer Customers

Symantec Corp., makers of Norton security software, today announced that Acer, a leader in developing technologically advanced, user-friendly solutions, will include Norton Online Backup, a Web-based backup service on select Acer family of products worldwide. Customers can use a 30-day trial version of Norton Online Backup with 5GB of online storage to backup files from up to five PCs at no extra charge.

Norton Online Backup, released in March 2009, is a simple, automated Web-based service for storing important digital content, including digital photos and music files. It enables users to safely store all their files in a single location and then access them any time and from anywhere using a computer connected to the Internet. Symantec is the world’s leading provider of online backup services with more than nine million subscribers storing more than 38 petabytes of data.

“By securely storing data online, Norton Online Backup enables consumers to easily protect and share their important data as well as transfer files between one computer and another, which is helpful when transitioning to a new computer,” said Niall Wall, vice president and general manager, Norton Online Backup, Symantec. “Acer is an important partner for the Norton brand and we are pleased to support the Acer family of products in delivering a powerful tool to help their customers better protect their important digital assets.”

Symantec’s Norton Online Backup is an easy-to-use backup solution:

* Secures valuable files against data loss, damage, and other disasters;
* Provides quick access and restoration of lost or deleted files to any Internet-connected computer;
* Serves as a centralized and secure storage for all your photos and files across multiple PCs;
* Conducts daily automatic backups or on a user-defined schedule;
* Speeds transmissions with advanced data compression and enables incremental backups;
* Offers remote management of backup settings from any Internet-connected computer;
* Promises a high-level of encryption securing all file transfers—all from the most trusted name in PC security

To Purchase Symantec Products visit http://www.gosymantec.com

Symantec Norton Internet Security Offered on Lenovo Think Branded PCs

Symantec Corp. today announced an agreement to distribute Norton Internet Security on Lenovo Think-branded PCs – including ThinkPad laptops, ThinkCentre desktops and ThinkStation workstations -- worldwide, in multiple languages. The award-winning Norton Internet Security software will be pre-loaded as a full-featured, 30-day subscription, at no extra charge.

Norton Internet Security is a comprehensive security solution that runs quietly in the background to detect and block today’s complex online threats. Norton Internet Security provides layers of security, including browser protection, anti-spyware and identity protection-- all working together to keep consumers safe when they buy, bank, or browse online.

“We have had a long and valued partnership with Lenovo and are pleased they have chosen Norton Internet Security as the exclusive security protection for their premier Think brand of PCs for business customers,” said Hal Bennett, vice president, global OEM and ISP sales, Symantec. “Lenovo is clearly committed to delivering computers that are exceptionally engineered for performance and security, and in offering their customers our groundbreaking reputation-based security technology, they are taking protection to an unprecedented new level of efficiency and effectiveness.”

“Lenovo and Symantec’s similar focus on providing unparalleled security and performance to business customers, especially the growing small to medium business market, makes Norton Internet Security a valuable addition to our portfolio of services included with our Think PCs,” said Peter Schrady, vice president and general manager, Software, Peripherals and Enterprise Products, Lenovo. “This security solution complements Lenovo’s full suite of hardware and software based security offerings including ThinkVantage Technologies like Hardware Password Manager for managing full hard drive encryption and Lenovo Lost and Found to help in reuniting lost ThinkPad laptops with their owners.”

To Purchase Symantec Products visit http://www.gosymantec.com

Symantec Announces New Backup and Archiving Support

Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) today announced updates to its backup and archiving software solutions to support Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 and other Microsoft applications. Symantec’s information management solutions help extend Exchange 2010 by further protecting customers’ information, reducing storage and server costs and quickly recovering information for business, legal and regulatory compliance purposes.

Symantec’s Enterprise Vault archiving solution adds direct drag-and-drop access to the archive from Outlook, so users no longer have to rely on “shortcut” links from their mailbox. This is now available for previous versions of Exchange and is scheduled to be available for Exchange 2010 in early 2010. Available now, Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery 2010 provides fast, reliable system backup and restore for Microsoft Exchange 2010. Over the next several months, Symantec is scheduled to deliver updated versions of NetBackup, Backup Exec and Enterprise Vault to reduce storage by deduplicating information stored in Microsoft Exchange 2010, as well as other applications such as Microsoft SharePoint and Windows Server 2008 R2.

“Organizations of all sizes are wrestling with massive information growth across multiple Microsoft platforms and applications, but especially Exchange,” said Mathew Lodge, senior director of product marketing, Symantec Information Management Group. “Symantec helps by providing backup and archiving platforms to centrally protect, manage and discover critical information within Exchange 2010 and other Microsoft platforms.”

New Archiving Support Provides Comprehensive Search and Management of Exchange

Symantec Enterprise Vault unifies deduplication, tiered storage, policy enforcement and e-discovery of information across multiple applications, such as Exchange, SharePoint, file servers and instant messaging. Available now, Enterprise Vault 8.0 with virtual vault eases the end user experience for organizations archiving Microsoft Exchange by combining access to live, legacy and archived emails in Microsoft Outlook without any visible change to the appearance of the message or stub files. This new capability allows end users to easily drag, search, move and retrieve archived email within Outlook just as they would with a .pst but without additional complications related to e-discovery or corruption. Additionally, Enterprise Vault is scheduled to provide fully-integrated archiving support for Exchange 2010 early next year.

“Symantec has unique expertise in backup and archiving solutions, and we are happy to have them as a Microsoft partner for Microsoft Exchange Server 2010,” said Betsy Frost, general manager, UC Marketing at Microsoft Corp. “Partners are critical to Microsoft’s success and, by building on Exchange 2010, Symantec helps us deliver more value to our customers and meet the needs of a wider variety of organizations. We are delighted to have Symantec included in our community of partners who are energized and ready to help customers take advantage of the innovations in Exchange 2010.”

Symantec Backup and Recovery Delivers Granular Recovery of Exchange

Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery 2010 provides small businesses with full system backup and recovery of the latest Microsoft platforms, including Microsoft Exchange 2010, Windows 7 and Microsoft Server 2008 R2. This allows organizations moving to these new Microsoft environments to ensure that their data and systems can be quickly recovered should they encounter an outage or disaster.

Additionally, Backup Exec System Recovery 2010 and the next versions of NetBackup and Backup Exec are scheduled to provide granular recovery of Exchange 2010 email messages, files, mailboxes, and public and private folders from single-pass database backups.

To Purchase Symantec Products visit http://www.gosymantec.com

Symantec Unveils New Resources to Empower Partners

Symantec Corp. today reinforced its commitment to help partners succeed in 2010 and beyond, unveiling a variety of new resources at its annual partner conference, Symantec Partner Engage 2009. These new enhancements are part of Symantec’s commitment to helping partners increase their revenue and relevance with their customers and to improve their readiness to support customers’ changing needs. New program elements include:

* SymDemo – An online tool that allows partners to demonstrate Symantec’s products anywhere, anytime with a laptop and an Internet connection.
* Enhanced Enterprise Authorized Renewals Program – A revised enterprise renewals program to help protect partners’ investment with increased margins and incumbent protection.
* Enterprise Security Specialization – Partners who earn this specialization will receive advanced tools and incentives for selling Symantec Enterprise Security Solutions.
* Partner Community on Symantec Connect – An online community that connects partners with Symantec and each other, enabling collaboration and information exchange.

“The technology market is highly competitive and constantly evolving, so Symantec is focused on helping our partners solve their customers’ IT challenges, differentiate themselves and grow their businesses,” said Randy Cochran, vice president, North American channel sales, Symantec Corp. “We’re giving our partners even more opportunities to drive revenue and maintain relevance with their customers and helping them be prepared with the skills, solutions and resources necessary to meet the needs of today’s challenging IT environment.”

SymDemo

Currently available to members of Symantec’s PartnerDemo Pilot, SymDemo, a virtualized, web-based demo and training platform, empowers partners with tools to perform product demos anytime, anywhere with a laptop and Internet connection. SymDemo gives partners remote accessibility by enabling them to give demonstrations without the need for a dedicated VPN connection. Like SymBrain, an online sales tool that helps partners quickly and easily determine the best Symantec solution for customers' IT projects, SymDemo started as an internal Symantec resource and has been extended to partners.

Enterprise Authorized Renewals Program

Symantec has enhanced its Enterprise Authorized Renewals Program based on valuable feedback received from its partner advisory council and the partner community. Available now, the updated program is designed to help partners protect their investment in Symantec and create a more efficient renewal process. The program honors the incumbent partner’s investment and enables greater margin retention; it also ensures consistency and improves overall customer experience within the renewal process.

The program is open to Gold and Platinum partners in the United States and Silver, Gold and Platinum partners in Canada who are enrolled in the Symantec Authorized products program in North America and have signed a Direct Reseller Addendum. It applies to enterprise renewals of NetBackup, Storage Foundation, Cluster Server and Enterprise Vault.

Enterprise Security Specialization for Partners

Symantec’s newest specialization will give partners qualified to sell Symantec Enterprise Security solutions greater opportunity for improved profitability and differentiation. Partners who earn the Enterprise Security Specialization will have access to incentives, programs and specialized content, as well as recognition as a Specialized partner within Symantec’s Partner Locator.

This Specialization requires that partners attain sales and technical accreditations in Symantec Protection Suite Enterprise Edition, which ensures partners are highly competent in selling and deploying Symantec Enterprise Security solutions. With the specialization, partners can more effectively deliver solutions that solve their customer’s most critical security challenges. The Enterprise Security Specialization will be available in late 2009 to Symantec Channel GSP, Platinum, Gold, Silver and Registered partners in North America.

New Partner Community on Symantec Connect

Symantec has added a new partner component to Symantec Connect, the company’s online community for customers and partners. Available now, this new partner community connects partners with Symantec and each other, enabling them to collaborate and utilize technical and business information within one online community. It provides a forum for partners to engage with other partners, ask questions and make suggestions to Symantec channel leadership via forums, blogs and idea exchange. Visit Symantec's Partner Community now for the latest news from Partner Engage 2009.

Partner Quotes:

“Symantec understands the importance of having the right resources and information readily available to better support our customers,” said Gavin Hood, vice president, Ontario, ESI Technologies. “Through these new programs and tools provided by Symantec, we have access to more options for customers, which in turn enables us to deploy solutions faster and simplify the budgetary process.”

“Symantec’s Partner Program provides ITS with the tools and training needed to further engage our customers at a higher contact level,” said Chuck Hegarty, vice president, Business Development, ITS Partners. “Thanks to Symantec, our sales team knows what questions to ask and they have done their homework before engaging with a potential customer. These new enhancements to the program will help us drive even greater success in 2010.”

To Purchase Symantec Products visit http://www.gosymantec.com

Symantec Announces 2009 Partner Award Winners

Symantec Corp. today announced the 2009 North American Partner Award winners at Symantec Partner Engage 2009. The Symantec Partner Awards recognize partners who have invested in Symantec and successfully combined Symantec software with their own services to solve customers’ most complex business challenges. The winners of the 2009 Symantec Partner Awards are Allen Informàtica, CDW, Forsythe Solutions Group, GTSI, Ingram Micro Canada, Lanworks, Inc., Precision Computer Service and SHI.

“Symantec’s partners are vital to our success and we’re focused on helping our partners continue to increase their revenue, grow their business and stay relevant with our joint customers,” said Randy Cochran, vice president, North American channel sales, Symantec. “The 2009 Channel Partner Awards recognize the focus of our partners who have truly invested in themselves and Symantec to deliver solutions that help customers reduce costs and minimize risks to deliver a near-term return on investment.”

Partner Engage 2009 is being held at the JW Marriott in Orlando, FL from November 4-6, 2009. Symantec’s annual partner conference addresses partners through various keynotes and breakout sessions on relevant topics including data protection, storage management and high availability, endpoint management and security, the Symantec partner program and sales and partnering strategies. For more information please visit the Partner Engage website.

To Purchase Symantec Products visit http://www.gosymantec.com