Symantec: Microsoft causing security price pressure
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(InfoWorld) - Symantec Chairman and CEO John Thompson blamed Microsoft on Tuesday for the current pricing competition his company faces in the consumer security market, suggesting Microsoft's pricing scheme for its first entry into the space is "monopolistic." Speaking at the offices of the Nasdaq stock exchange in New York, Thompson said Microsoft's decision last year to offerÂ Windows Live OneCare, a service that combines firewall, antiviru,s and backup capabilities, for $49.95 per year for three PCs "clearly recast prior expectations for consumer security technology." "I don't want to say it was monopolistic, but it looked that way to some of us," Thompson said. Symantec released Norton 360, its competitor to Windows Live OneCare, last March, but the product -- at $79.99 for three PCs -- costs more than Windows Live OneCare but has the benefit of more features and Symantec's experience in security going for it. Using competitive pricing to try to get a leg up in a market where a company is weak is a common practice, and Symantec is no stranger to such pricing storms, Thompson said. "We have seen a continued focus on price competition in some markets and some channels," he said. To say Microsoft has a long way to go before it can compete with the breadth of products Symantec has in the consumer and enterprise spaces is an understatement. Microsoft executives have acknowledged that the company took its time in realizing the importance of security, but they are now determined to give Symantec and McAfee a run for their money with offerings like OneCare and the Forefront security line. Still, there is wide agreement that any serious heat from Microsoft in security is several years off, if not more. Thompson said Tuesday that his company is well-prepared to evolve with the industry and new competitors. As part of this evolution, Symantec plans to unveil its first software-as-a-service option this year, a backup service for SMBs called the Symantec Protection Network. That service will be rolled out in conjunction with the next version of its Backup Exec software. "We've reinvented ourselves in the past, and we'll probably reinvent ourselves if not one more time than at least two more times" to keep up with industry changes, Thompson said.
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A computer security researcher and Symantec Corp. are warning Microsoft customers about an unpatched hole in the company's Web browser that could allow an attacker to bypass security warnings and download malicious content onto vulnerable systems.
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The number of cyber attacks on Windows operating system rose by 400pc between January June of this year, computer security company Symantec said today.
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Lack of consumer confidence RSA Symantec's chief executive has lambasted Microsoft for a dangerous conflict of interest as both the provider of an operating system and seller of software designed to secure its users.â¦
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Microsoft wants to sell Web sites and businesses on security checks of customer PCs. That may not go over so well.
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Time to rename it 'Symaunteuc?' Symantec should be thankful for a healthy year's worth of publicized data pratfalls an ocean away. International sales rose 21 per cent in its third fiscal quarter, bolstering a strong quarter for the security software firm and a cheery outlook for Q4.â¦
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Symantec, McAfee hope raising virus-definition fees will move users to   suites.
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Anti-virus company Symantec warned its customers about a number of critical holes in Windows that surfaced late Thursday and that could make their systems vulnerable to compromise by remote attackers.
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Merger mania found its way back into the software space today, asvsecurity firm Symantec said it would pay US$13.5 billion to acquire Veritas Software.
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DECEMBER 24, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - Antivirus company Symantec Corp. warned its customers about a number of critical holes in Microsoft Corp.
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Symantec&#39;s planned acquisition of Veritas Software is already changing the security game, even though the deal remained unconfirmed by either party as of late Wednesday afternoon.
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Microsoft Corp. is facing growing pressure from open-source software across every segment of its businessâa competitive threat that could have significant consequences for its financial future going forward
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The latest six-month report on Internet threats shows a staggering breadth and complexity. Symantec Corp.&#39;s Internet Security Threat Report (http://enterprisesecurity .
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Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC) has launched a new strategy for enterprise I.T. security that is designed to help businesses manage and protect the massive amounts of digital information on their networks.
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Symantec Corp.&#39;s Security Response service on Friday confirmed that unpatched Windows vulnerabilities could pose a serious risk for exploits via malicious Web pages and e-mail messages.
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(InfoWorld) - Symantec Corp. has filed suit against an alleged software piracy ring, that has been in operation in North America since late 2003, the software vendor claims. The lawsuit, filed last month in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles seeks more than US$15 million in damages from a network of U.S. and Canadian businesses that are alleged to have sold counterfeit versions of Symantec's products, including Norton AntiVirus, pcAnywhere and Veritas Backup Exec. These companies and their affiliates run a global counterfeit organization that focuses on the U.S. and Canada, Symantec said. The businesses, which operated under eight different names, including Sili Inc., Advanced Sales Productivity Solutions Inc. and GT Micro, used spam and online advertising to offer Symantec's software at cut-rate prices, said Cris Paden, a Symantec spokesman. Customers who paid for the software would then be sent disks with Symantec's logo, wrapped in plain white sleeves. The disks, which came without documentation, would not install or work properly and could also include malicious software that would then be used to steal sensitive information from the purchaser's computer, Paden said. Symantec began investigating the matter in early 2004, when it started receiving complaints from customers who had bought the bad software, Paden added. "The people who bought these disks thinking they were from Symantec would come to our customer service," he said. One of the Sili Web sites named in Symantec's complaint, Sle-business.com, http://www.sle-business.com/Product%20List.htm Norton AntiVirus 2006. That product typically sells for about $20. Sle-business.com's Web site also offers software from McAfee Inc., Intuit Inc., Corel Corp. and Webroot Software Inc., among others. Sili representatives could not be reached immediately for comment. Symantec has worked with police to seize more than 100,000 copies of counterfeit disks, but Paden did not know if criminal charges would be forthcoming in the case. "We are working with law enforcement," he said. "I can't tell you who because if I did that would tip our hands to the extent of our investigation." Like many other vendors, Symantec has become more aggressive in its fight against unauthorized copying. In 2002, Symantec was losing about $500 million per year to software piracy, but it has now reduced those losses to less than $50 million per year, he said. Customers who are worried that they may be buying phony software online should make sure they are actually giving their credit-card information over a secure Web site, Paden said. That means that when they are asked to enter a credit-card number, the Web address should begin with https://, and there should be a locked padlock displayed near the address to indicate that the browser is visiting a secure site. "That's the smoking gun as to whether you're dealing with a legitimate outfit or not," Paden said. "99 percent of the time these guys don't use this."ADVERTISEMENTNEW IT SERVICES FROM IBM: EASIER TO BUY AND IMPLEMENTDiscover a simpler, more cost-effective way to get the solutions your company needs to grow more flexible and efficient.
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The latest Internet Security Threat Report released today by Symantec (NASDAQ: SYMC) shows that because home users are less likely to have established security measures in place, they are being increasingly targeted by attackers for identity theft, fraud, or other financially motivated crime.