INDEPENDENT NEWS

Leadership in Information-Centric Security

Published: Tue 6 Nov 2007 12:27 AM
News Release
Symantec to Extend its Leadership in Information-Centric Security
Proposed Vontu Acquisition and Data Loss Prevention to Play a Central Role
in Symantec’s Security 2.0 Vision and Strategy for Information Risk Management
Taking another step forward in its vision for Security 2.0, Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) today announced its intent to acquire Vontu and its plans to integrate Vontu’s Data Loss Prevention solutions into Symantec’s broader portfolio. Combining Symantec’s market-leading security and storage capabilities with Vontu’s market-leading DLP technologies will create the most comprehensive Information Risk Management solution on the market.
The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth calendar quarter of 2007, subject to receiving regulatory approvals and satisfaction of other customary closing conditions.
“As part of our Security 2.0 vision, we have long been pushing a view that security should be driven by policy, focused on information and supported by a managed infrastructure,” said Tom Kendra, group president, Security and Data Management Group, Symantec. “Through internal innovation and acquisition we have solutions to help companies define and implement policies, manage and protect information and secure and manage their systems and devices. Vontu’s offerings provide insight into the information itself, the context in which it’s being used and the controls needed to prevent its loss.”
With data breaches becoming more frequent, costly and regulated, it’s no surprise that data loss prevention is top of mind for IT and business leaders. A September Goldman Sachs Security Spending Survey indicates more than 50 percent of CISOs believe data leakage to be a top driver of their organisation’s security spending. IDC estimates the Information Protection and Control market to reach $3.2 billion by 2011, representing a 33 percent compound annual growth rate .
A Comprehensive Portfolio for Information Risk Management
Information Risk Management combines threat protection and information control into an integrated set of products, enabling organisations to keep the bad things out (information security), to keep the important things in (data loss prevention) and to manage, retain and find that information when needed (e-discovery).
The ability to manage these different challenges requires a level of expertise in security and storage that Symantec is uniquely positioned to provide. Symantec already provides a set of products and services that enable companies to:
• Identify their areas of information risk and define the policies to mitigate those risks.
• Implement, automate and monitor controls around those policies.
• Reduce the risk of malware and spam from entering an organisation.
• Protect the systems and devices where information lives, including servers, databases, storage systems, laptops and smartphones.
• Securely control access to networks and enforce endpoint security policies.
• Protect and manage information in message archives and data centres.
• Provide a real-time mechanism to aggregate, correlate and analyse behaviours.
• Conduct post-breach forensics to determine what information was lost.
DLP: A Core Component of Information Risk Management
Vontu’s products will complement Symantec’s existing portfolio with a comprehensive platform to prevent the loss of confidential data wherever it is stored or used - across endpoint, network and storage systems.
• Endpoint: Vontu Endpoint solutions allow companies to prevent confidential data from being copied to USB drives, burned to CD/DVDs, and downloaded to local drives, as well as discover and protect confidential data stored on laptops and desktops.
• Network: Vontu Network Monitoring and Prevention solutions stop confidential data from being sent outside the organisation via email, webmail, FTP, IM and other Internet protocols to help organisations ensure compliance with data security and privacy policies.
• Storage: Vontu Data Discovery and Protection solutions help organisations understand where confidential information is stored and quickly find and fix exposed data on file servers, databases, document management systems, laptops and desktops. Vontu’s proven solutions also help companies address PCI compliance, e-Discovery, data classification and data governance objectives.
• Policy Management: Vontu offers a centralised platform for policy management, detection, workflow and remediation that enables organisations define policies once and enforce them everywhere.
Layering Data Loss Prevention across the Symantec Portfolio
Following the close of the acquisition, Symantec plans to layer Vontu’s DLP technologies across Symantec’s existing endpoint security, network security, storage and compliance solutions creating the most comprehensive solution for Information Risk Management. Unlike point products that only cover the endpoint or the network, this multi-layered solution will provide customers with a comprehensive way to dramatically reduce the risk of data loss.
Following the close of the acquisition, the Vontu team will operate as dedicated team within Symantec’s Security and Data Management Group, continuing to build on the Vontu DLP 8 product suite. Vontu DLP 8 is the industry’s first integrated solution that combines endpoint and network-based technology to discover and protect data wherever it is stored, as well as monitor and prevent inappropriate data usage.
For additional information on the Vontu acquisition please visit: http://go.symantec.com/Vontu.
About Security 2.0
Security 2.0 is Symantec’s vision for the future of security. As the threat landscape evolves and new ways of doing business and communicating emerge, security must evolve to become more business enabler than inhibitor. Security solutions must protect consumers and businesses at every connection giving them confidence that their information and interactions are protected everywhere they go. For enterprises, this requires taking a more policy-driven, information-centric approach to security that is supported by a managed infrastructure.
About Symantec
Symantec is a global leader in infrastructure software, enabling businesses and consumers to have confidence in a connected world. The company helps customers protect their infrastructure, information, and interactions by delivering software and services that address risks to security, availability, compliance, and performance. Headquartered in Cupertino, California, Symantec has operations in more than 40 countries. More information is available at www.symantec.com.
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Symantec and the Symantec Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of U.S. federal securities laws, including expectations regarding the closing of Symantec’s acquisition of Vontu and the integration of its products and technologies into Symantec’s products, that involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in this press release. Such risk factors include, among others, satisfaction of closing conditions to the transaction, our ability to successfully integrate the merged businesses and technologies, and customer demand for the technologies and integrated product offerings. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Additional information concerning these and other risk factors is contained in the Risk Factors section of Symantec’s most recently filed Form 10-K. Symantec assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement contained in this press release. The contents of the Symantec website shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into this news release.

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