XChange: Symantec 4.0 Brings Simplified Approach

Under the leadership of CEO Steve Bennett -- Symantec's fourth chief executive -- the company says it is ushering in the era of Symantec 4.0. Symantec 4.0 means more clear and logically organized IT security solutions, commitment to better support for partners, and operational simplification, said John Belle, Symantec's senior director of commercials and SMB channel, during a Tech Symposium session at XChange Solution Provider 2013 in Orlando, Fla., Monday.

"Steve brought in discipline around our business. Not just in the way we conduct internally but how we present ourselves to partners and customers," Belle said. To foster better relationships with partners, Symantec is organizing more than 200 point products it developed or acquired into three solutions sets: user productivity and protection, information security, and information management, Belle said.

[Related: CRN's XChange Solution Provider 2013 Coverage ]

"Over the next six to 24 months, we will deliver integrated, cross-platform solutions across these tiers. The solutions logically are meant to work together and will work together," he said. "As you represent Symantec to customers, you will know what works together. The benefit to customers in this solutions future is when we start to logically align ourselves around our solution sets, we can talk more clearly about the solutions. We're starting to tell our message more effectively as opposed to 200 point products."

A simplified Symantec is even more important as the demands for IT security and availability become even more complex, said Belle. He noted that there's been more malicious code written in the past 12 months than in the previous five years combined.

"What's compelling isn't just the volume and speed at which it's happening, but the targeted nature of that code. Today cybercriminals work very hard to create chaos for the purpose of profit," Belle said. "The volume and critical nature of the threat has increased dramatically. At the same time, it has never ever been more important for a company like Symantec to give you, the partner community, ways to prevent, protect and recover to steady state as fast as possible."

Symantec has pledged an incremental $50 million to fund additional support for partners and customers, Belle said. "We're adding hundreds of new support technicians and not exclusively on an offshore basis. We're beginning to put techs back into the U.S. to staff domestically so you can get a higher level of tech support going forward," he said.

In addition, Symantec plans to spend $3.5 million more on its inside sales organization to help deliver more leads to partners.

"Many of you have commented to me that it's been awhile since you've seen leads from Symantec. We will have a lead-gen program up and running shortly. The net result is you should see a net increase in leads delivered around our solution set," Belle said.

PUBLISHED MARCH 11, 2013