http:// 2013-02-22T01:07:00Z 2013-02-22T01:07:00Z symantec-mobility-survey-finds-good-things-come-to-those-who-don-t-wait

Symantec Mobility Survey Reveals That Good Things Come to Those Who Don’t Wait Innovators seeing higher revenue and profit growth, competitive advantages, positive brand impact and happier customers SYDNEY, Aust. – February 22, 2013 – Two distinct types of organisations emerge from Symantec Corp’s. (Nasdaq: SYMC) recent 2013 State of Mobility Survey – “Innovators” who readily embrace mobility and “Traditionals” who are reluctant to implement it. Eighty four percent of innovators are moving ahead with mobility, motivated by business drivers, and they are experiencing significant benefits. Traditional organisations are implementing mobility more slowly, largely in response to user demand, and are seeing both fewer costs and benefits. Click to Tweet: Business drivers motivate innovative companies to pursue mobility: http://bit.ly/159KR1F “Few issues command the attention of IT today like mobility,” said Francis deSouza, president, Products and Services, Symantec. “The difference in attitudes and results between the organisations that actively embrace mobility and those that are reluctant is significant. Organisations taking a proactive approach benefit much more than those that put it off until they eventually find themselves trying to catch up to the competition.” The two groups perceive the benefits and risks of mobility differently. Among innovators, 66 percent say the benefits are worth the risks, while 74 percent of traditional businesses feel the risks are not worth it. This is reflected in the rate of mobility adoption, with 50 percent more employees using smartphones for business among innovators than among traditional organisations. More than half of innovators (55 percent) are also taking control of purchasing phones for employees, compared to 44 percent of traditionals. When it comes to the innovators, company involvement doesn’t stop with purchasing the phones. They also more often have mobility policies, and they are twice as likely to use technology to enforce their policies (60 percent in the innovators as opposed to 33 percent among traditionals). Costs and Benefits With the innovators taking more advantage of mobility, they are also seeing more costs associated with it. In fact, they averaged twice as many mobile incidents during the last year, such as lost devices and data breaches, leading to consequences such as regulatory fines and lost revenue. The innovators are also experiencing far more benefits, in three key areas: Increased productivity, speed and agilityImprovements in brand value, customer happiness and overall competitivenessHappier employees and improved recruiting and retention rates Most importantly, however, the innovators are experiencing nearly 50 percent higher revenue growth than traditionals (44 percent vs. 30 percent). All things considered, businesses perceive net positive results with mobility. Effective Mobile Implementation The survey results illustrate the positive impact mobility can have on the business, with the right preparation. The following guidelines can help organisations make the most of their mobile deployment while reducing risks: Being cautious about mobility is okay. Being resistant is not. Start embracing it. Organisations should take a proactive approach and carefully plan an effective mobile implementation strategyStart with the apps with greatest productivity benefits for employees. One of the best ways to get started with mobility is to implement mobile apps that will have an immediate impact on the businessLearn from the innovators – get the benefits while minimising the risks. The key is to be aware of the risks associated with mobility such as information loss, and to follow the example of the innovators Symantec’s 2013 State of Mobility Survey Symantec’s 2013 State of Mobility Survey represents the experiences of 3,236 businesses, from 29 countries. Respondents were the individuals in charge of computing – either senior staff in the case of enterprises, or often an employee with technical aptitude among SMBs. Responses came from companies with a range of five to more than 5,000 employees. Resources Report: 2013 State of Mobility Survey ResultsBlog Post: Early Adoption of Mobility Pays OffSlideShare Presentation: 2013 State of Mobility Global ResultsInfographic: 2013 State of Mobility SurveyPodcast: 2013 State of Mobility Survey2013 State of Mobility Survey Press Kit Connect with Symantec Follow Symantec on TwitterJoin Symantec on FacebookView Symantec’s SlideShare ChannelSubscribe to Symantec News RSS FeedVisit Symantec Connect Business CommunityVisit Symantec’s MobileSecurity.com About Symantec Symantec protects the world’s information, and is a global leader in security, backup and availability solutions. Our innovative products and services protect people and information in any environment – from the smallest mobile device, to the enterprise data center, to cloud-based systems. Our world-renowned expertise in protecting data, identities and interactions gives our customers confidence in a connected world. More information is available at www.symantec.com or by connecting with Symantec at: go.symantec.com/socialmedia. ### NOTE TO EDITORS: If you would like additional information on Symantec Corporation and its products, please visit the Symantec News Room at http://www.symantec.com/news. All prices noted are in U.S. dollars and are valid only in the United States. 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: Any forward-looking indication of plans for products is preliminary and all future release dates are tentative and are subject to change. Any future release of the product or planned modifications to product capability, functionality, or feature are subject to ongoing evaluation by Symantec, and may or may not be implemented and should not be considered firm commitments by Symantec and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. For more information please contact:Kara Jecks Max Australia +61 433 033 135 symantec.enterprise@maxaustralia.com.au Catriona Turner Symantec Corporation +61 2 9086 8755 catriona_turner@symantec.com

2013-02-14T23:43:00Z email-malware-at-lowest-rate-since-2009-symantec-intelligence-report

Good morning Today Symantec releases its January Intelligence Report , which finds the global rate of email malware has significantly dropped since December 2012. This is the lowest virus rate since 2009 and could indicate that email virus distributors have taken a break after the holiday period or have continued to migrate away from email as a choice for malicious payload delivery. Globally, every 1 in 400 emails (0.25 percent) contain a virus, while the APJ region has seen a steep decline with only every 1 in 692 emails (0.14 percent) a virus. Australia’s figures show a higher rate at 1 in every 272 emails (0.37 percent) – this is still down from December’s figures of 1 in every 94. Valentine’s Day spam however was in full swing this year arriving as an e-card and preying upon the potential victim’s curiosity of a potential secret admirer. Unfortunately many of these e-cards do not lead to unexpected romance but instead fake bargains, phishing attempts and malicious code. Globally, the five industry sectors with highest virus rate were the Public Sector, Education, Accommodation/Catering, Transport/Utility and Non-Profit. Also this month Symantec and Microsoft partnered to take down the notorious Bamital botnet. The primary purpose of this botnet has been to generate ad revenue by hijacking search engine results, redirecting them to a C&C server hosting ads of the attacker’s choosing. Symantec has been tracking this botnet since 2009, and has successfully shut down the all known components of used to operate the botnet. For more details on the latest analysis of cyber security threats and tends or to download Symantec’s January Intelligence Report please click here. Click to tweet: January 2013 saw the lowest global spam virus rate since 2009; read more in the Jan 2013 SIR: http://bit.ly/VSWLpN Thanks, Kara For more information please contact:Kara Jecks Max Australia +61 433 033 135 kara.jecks@maxaustralia.com.au Catriona Turner Symantec Corporation +61 2 9086 8755 catriona_turner@symantec.com

2013-01-24T02:17:00Z symantec-delivers-record-revenue-in-fiscal-third-quarter-2013

SYDNEY, Australia. – January 24, 2013 – Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) today reported the results of its third quarter of fiscal year 2013, ended Dec. 28, 2012. GAAP revenue for the fiscal third quarter was $1.79 billion, up 4 percent year-over-year and up 5 percent after adjusting for currency. “We continue to deliver better than expected results,” said Steve Bennett, president and chief executive officer, Symantec. “I’m so proud of our employees. These types of results don’t happen by accident. The fact that we can deliver these results in a period of significant transition and uncertainty is a testament to our employees, the strength of our brand, the quality of our products and the scope of our customer base.” “Strength in EMEA, information management and license revenue drove our FX adjusted organic revenue growth of 4%,” said James Beer, executive vice president and chief financial officer, Symantec. “Our better than expected top line growth coupled with disciplined expense management drove non-GAAP operating margins of 25.6% even as we are investing in certain areas to better serve our customer needs.”   GAAP Results for third quarter of fiscal year 2013 GAAP operating margin was 16.6 percent compared with 17.5 percent for the same quarter last year, down 90 basis points year-over-year.GAAP net income was $212 million compared with net income of $240 million for the year-ago period, down 12 percent year-over-year.GAAP diluted earnings per share were $0.30 compared with $0.32 for the year ago quarter, down 6 percent year-over-year.GAAP deferred revenue was $3.806 billion compared with $3.665 billion for the year ago quarter, up 4 percent year-over-year on an actual and currency-adjusted basis.Cash flow from operating activities was $463 million compared with $403 million for the year ago period, up 15 percent year-over-year.Symantec ended the quarter with cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $4.25 billion. During the quarter, Symantec repurchased 11 million shares for $200 million at an average price of $17.94. Symantec has $283 million remaining in the current board authorised stock repurchase plan. Non-GAAP Results for third quarter of fiscal year 2013 Non-GAAP operating margin was 25.6 percent compared with 26.2 percent for the same quarter last year, down 60 basis points year-over-year and down 80 basis points after adjusting for currency, due to increased investment in certain areas to better serve our customer needs.Non-GAAP net income was $313 million compared to $314 million for the same quarter last year.Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share were $0.45 compared with earnings per share of $0.42 for the year-ago quarter, up 7 percent year-over-year. Business Segment Highlights for the Quarter The Consumer segment represented 30 percent of total revenue and increased 1 percent year-over-year (increased 2 percent after adjusting for currency).The Security and Compliance segment represented 29 percent of total revenue and increased 3 percent year-over-year (increased 4 percent after adjusting for currency).The Storage and Server Management segment represented 37 percent of total revenue and increased 8 percent year-over-year (increased 9 percent after adjusting for currency).Services represented 4 percent of total revenue and increased 10 percent year-over-year (increased 9 percent after adjusting for currency). Geographic Highlights for the Quarter International revenue represented 52 percent of total revenue and increased 6 percent year-over-year (increased 8 percent after adjusting for currency).The Europe, Middle East and Africa region represented 28 percent of total revenue and increased 6 percent year-over-year (increased 10 percent after adjusting for currency).Asia Pacific/Japan revenue represented 19 percent of total revenue and increased 7 percent year-over-year (increased 6 percent after adjusting for currency).The Americas, including the United States, Latin America and Canada, represented 53 percent of total revenue and increased 3 percent year-over-year on an actual and currency-adjusted basis. Webcast Symantec ran a Webcast from 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT to 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT (8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.am. AEST) today to discuss the Company’s strategic direction, operational plan, capital allocation strategy and financial results, including guidance. To view the corresponding presentation, please go to http://www.symantec.com/invest . A replay of the webcast including presentation will be available within 24 hours after the event. About Symantec Symantec protects the world’s information, and is a global leader in security, backup and availability solutions. Our innovative products and services protect people and information in any environment – from the smallest mobile device, to the enterprise data centre, to cloud-based systems. Our world-renowned expertise in protecting data, identities and interactions gives our customers confidence in a connected world. More information is available at www.symantec.com or by connecting with Symantec at: go.symantec.com/socialmedia. ### NOTE TO EDITORS: If you would like additional information on Symantec Corporation and its products, please visit the Symantec News Room at http://www.symantec.com/news. All prices noted are in U.S. dollars and are valid only in the United States. 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. USE OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL INFORMATION: Our results of operations have undergone significant change due to a series of acquisitions, the impact of stock-based compensation, impairment charges and other corporate events. To help our readers understand our past financial performance and our future results, we supplement the financial results that we provide in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, with non-GAAP financial measures. The method we use to produce non-GAAP results is not computed according to GAAP and may differ from the methods used by other companies. Our non-GAAP results are not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for comparable GAAP measures and should be read only in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. Our management regularly uses our supplemental non-GAAP financial measures internally to understand, manage and evaluate our business and make operating decisions. These non-GAAP measures are among the primary factors management uses in planning for and forecasting future periods. Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation of our non-GAAP financial measures to the comparable GAAP results, which is attached to our quarterly earnings release and which can be found, along with other financial information, on the investor relations’ page of our Web site at www.symantec.com/invest. For more information please contact:Kara Jecks Max Australia +61 433 033 135 kara.jecks@maxaustralia.com.au Catriona Turner Symantec Corporation +61 2 9086 8755 catriona_turner@symantec.com

2013-01-24T02:13:00Z symantec-announces-new-strategy

SYDNEY, Australia. – Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013 – Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) today announced a new strategy that will streamline and simplify the company so it can deliver significantly improved performance for customers and partners. Strategy “Symantec’s strategy is clear: We want to enable people, businesses and countries to focus their energies and time on achieving their aspirations, instead of being consumed with how to keep their digital lives safe and protected,” said Steve Bennett, Symantec president and chief executive officer. “This is a story about more focus and better execution by Symantec to make things better and easier for our customers and partners. Our path is straightforward: Offer better products and services tailor made for customers, and make it easier for them to research, shop, buy, use, and get the help and support they need.” Offerings Symantec’s goal is to continue to improve its existing products and services, and at the same time develop new, innovative products and services that solve important unmet or underserved needs. Over time customers will have more and better choices that will continue to meet their evolving needs and deliver better value. Symantec is focusing on 10 key areas that combine existing products and services into new, innovative and comprehensive solutions that meet multiple customer needs with integrated and higher value offerings. The overall development process is estimated to take six to 24 months depending on the specific offering. These future offerings are intended to align with meeting three key customer needs: Making it simple to be productive and protected at home and work; keeping businesses safe and compliant; and keeping business information and applications up and running. As such, Symantec is focusing on and considering the development of offerings in the following core areas: Mobile Workforce Productivity, Norton Protection, Norton Cloud, Information Security Services, Identity/Content-Aware Security Gateway, Data Centre Security, Business Continuity, Integrated Backup, Cloud-Based Information Management, and Object Storage Platform. “Customers will still be able to pick and choose the solutions they want to use, but from a broader menu of innovative products with higher value,” Bennett said. “We’re not offering packages that they have to take it or leave it. Customers can still decide what’s right for them and buy accordingly, but have the added option of migrating to new integrated offerings which provide added flexibility we know they will need to combat constantly evolving threats, particularly via mobile and the cloud.” In order to continue delivering value to customers in the future, Symantec will increase its investment in research and development and homegrown innovation to better meet next generation needs. Symantec will also establish strategic partnerships where it can integrate what it does with others to add even more value for customers. This will help customers stay ahead of increasingly challenging information and protection challenges at the endpoint, network and data centre levels. “There is a huge set of underserved and unmet needs that customers are experiencing with regards to protecting, moving and managing their information on multiple devices,” continued Bennett. “With our resources and know-how, we are in a better position to meet those needs than anyone. We have the infrastructure to deliver real value to help customers and this new strategy will improve both our focus and execution. We also have the expertise to know and see what they’re going to need next. It’s a question of alignment and regaining focus on the current and future needs of customers via a renewed emphasis on innovation plus developing new technology.” Operations and Organisation Symantec’s sales process will continue to rely heavily on the channel to manage current customers and free up Symantec’s sales force to focus on generating new business. Symantec will also enhance the marketing organisation with more strategic resources and capability to accelerate focus and organic growth. Symantec has created a new Office of the CEO. A small team of executives (chief financial officer, president of products and services, and chief operating officer) has been established to make collective operational and functional decisions with Bennett on a daily basis. Also reporting directly into the CEO are direct reports based on function (such as HR, Finance, Legal, etc.) and the sales geography leaders. A group of extended staff --including the chief officers of functions such as IT, marketing, communications, and technology – will be another group reporting into the CEO. In order to make the company more flexible and able to adapt quicker to the needs of customers, more emphasis will be placed on giving front-line employees greater empowerment, input and discretion in addressing customer’s needs on a day to day basis. As such, there will be fewer executives and middle management positions, resulting in a reduction of the workforce. This process is expected to be completed by the end of June 2013. “Symantec is a strong company with leadership products, brands and great employees,” said Bennett. “Past leaders and employees of this company have left an outstanding legacy of assets for us to build upon as we move forward. The next step is to change things that allow us to adapt quicker to the marketplace, and in the end, continue Symantec’s tradition and high standards for delivering tremendous value to our employees, customers, partners and shareholders.” Financial Implications As we execute on our strategy and operational plan we are committed to deliver more than 5% organic revenue growth and non-GAAP operating margins better than 30% over the next two to three years. The coming year will include significant transitions as we begin to improve our growth capabilities, establish a dedicated renewals team, refocus our direct field sales representatives on new business and eliminate duplicative organisation and operating structures. As such, we expect organic revenue growth between 0% and 2% in FY14. However, we have identified many opportunities to drive efficiencies and redeploy resources which will remove duplication and complexity. As a result, we expect non-GAAP operating margins to increase by approximately 200 basis points in FY14. Our initial estimate for severance payments of approximately $275 million will impact cash flows in FY14. After FY14, organic revenue is expected to build steadily driving a CAGR of more than 5% during the FY15–FY17 period as we execute on our plans. We expect to increase non-GAAP operating margins by another approximately 200 basis points in FY15. As such, we are targeting to reach 30% non-GAAP operating margins by the end of FY15. Webcast Symantec ran a Webcast from 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT to 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT (8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.am. AEST) today to discuss the Company’s strategic direction, operational plan, capital allocation strategy and financial results, including guidance. To view the corresponding presentation, please go to http://www.symantec.com/invest . A replay of the webcast including presentation will be available within 24 hours after the event. Connect with Symantec Blog Post: Symantec’s New DirectionFollow Symantec on TwitterJoin Symantec on FacebookView Symantec’s SlideShare ChannelSubscribe to Symantec News RSS FeedVisit Symantec Connect Business Community About Symantec Symantec protects the world’s information, and is a global leader in security, backup and availability solutions. Our innovative products and services protect people and information in any environment – from the smallest mobile device, to the enterprise data centre, to cloud-based systems. Our world-renowned expertise in protecting data, identities and interactions gives our customer’s confidence in a connected world. More information is available at www.symantec.com or by connecting with Symantec at: go.symantec.com/socialmedia. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: Any information regarding pre-release Symantec offerings, future updates or other planned modifications is subject to ongoing evaluation by Symantec and therefore subject to change. This information is provided without warranty of any kind, express or implied. Customers who purchase Symantec offerings should make their purchase decision based upon features that are currently available This press release contains statements regarding our intention to execute a new strategy, implement operational and organisational changes and our projected financial and business results, which may be considered forward-looking within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws, including projections of future revenue and operating margin as well as projections of restructuring charges. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from results expressed or implied in this press release. Such risk factors include those related to: general economic conditions; maintaining customer and partner relationships; the anticipated growth of certain market segments, particularly with regard to security and storage; the competitive environment in the software industry; changes to operating systems and product strategy by vendors of operating systems; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; the timing and market acceptance of new product releases and upgrades; the successful development of new offerings and integration of acquired businesses, and the degree to which these offerings and businesses gain market acceptance. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements in this press release. We assume no obligation, and do not intend to update these forward-looking statements as a result of future events or developments. Additional information concerning these and other risks factors is contained in the Risk Factors sections of our Form 10-K for the year ended March 30, 2012 and our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 11, 2012. USE OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL INFORMATION: Our results of operations have undergone significant change due to a series of acquisitions, the impact of stock-based compensation, impairment charges and other corporate events. To help our readers understand our past financial performance and our future results, we supplement the financial results that we provide in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, with non-GAAP financial measures. The method we use to produce non-GAAP results is not computed according to GAAP and may differ from the methods used by other companies. Our non-GAAP results are not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for comparable GAAP measures and should be read only in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. Our management regularly uses our supplemental non-GAAP financial measures internally to understand, manage and evaluate our business and make operating decisions. These non-GAAP measures are among the primary factors management uses in planning for and forecasting future periods. Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation of our non-GAAP financial measures to the comparable GAAP results, which is attached to our quarterly earnings release and which can be found, along with other financial information, on the investor relations’ page of our Web site at www.symantec.com/invest. ### For more information please contact:Kara Jecks Max Australia +61 433 033 135 kara.jecks@maxaustralia.com.au Catriona Turner Symantec Corporation +61 2 9086 8755 catriona_turner@symantec.com

2013-01-23T00:32:00Z android-malware-potentially-infects-thousands-of-devices-stealing-personal-data

Android malware potentially infects thousands of devices stealing personal data Good morning, Symantec’s Security Response team has published an analysis of malware that targets Android users for personal information. Android.Exprespam was discovered at the beginning of January and has only been around for a couple of weeks, but analysis shows that the scammers seem to be having a lot of success with the malware already. The data obtained indicates that the fake market called Android Express’s Play has drawn over 3,000 visits in a period of a week from January 13 to January 20, resulting in potential theft between 75,000 and 450,000 pieces of personal information. Further information on the malware analysis can be found on Symantec’s Security Response blog and the graphic below. Android users should avoid using links in emails from unknown sources, only download apps from well-known and trusted app vendors and install a security app, such as Norton Mobile Security or Symantec Mobile Security, on the device. For general smartphone and tablet safety tips, please visit our Mobile Security website. Thanks, Kara For more information please contact:Kara Jecks Max Australia +61 433 033 135 kara.jecks@maxaustralia.com.au Catriona Turner Symantec Corporation +61 2 9086 8755 catriona_turner@symantec.com

2013-01-17T07:05:00Z java-zero-day-update

Java Zero Day Update Symantec is aware and has reported on the technical details surrounding Java’s recent Zero Day, which allows criminals to install malware on computers of affected users who visit compromised websites: Java Zero-Day Dished Up from Cool Exploit KitAdditional Protection for Recent Java Zero-Day The United States Department of Homeland Security advised users to disable Java in their browsers until Oracle released a patch for this vulnerability. Oracle reported it released a patch on Sunday, Jan. 13, to address this vulnerability. Symantec customers are protected against this vulnerability. Symantec detects JAR files served up by the various exploit kits as Trojan.Maljava and has further protection in place with Trojan.Maljava!gen26. Additionally, Symantec has released the following IPS signatures to proactively block the malicious JAR fi les associated with these exploit attempts: Web Attack: Exploit Toolkit Website 1526102 - Trojan.Ransomlock.G Download25738 - Web Attack:Malicious JAR File Download 1126084 - Web Attack: Cool Exploit Kit Website26250 - Web Attack: Cool Exploit Kit PDF Download26364 - Web Attack: Malicious Java Download CVE-2013-042226357 - Web Attack: Java JMX RCE CVE-2013-042226358 - Web Attack: Java JMX RCE CVE-2013-0422 2 By blocking the JAR files containing the exploit, downloading and execution of additional malicious files will not occur. If you have any further questions regarding this Java Zero Day or Symantec protection, please let me know. Thanks, Kara For more information please contact:Kara Jecks Max Australia +61 433 033 135 kara.jecks@maxaustralia.com.au Catriona Turner Symantec Corporation +61 2 9086 8755 catriona_turner@symantec.com

2013-01-17T07:03:00Z symantec-global-survey-reveals-upsurge-in-rogue-clouds-and-other-hidden-costs

Symantec Global Survey Reveals Upsurge in Rogue Clouds and Other Hidden Costs SYDNEY, Australia – 17 January 2013 – Organisations are widely migrating to the cloud to gain competitive advantages around speed, agility and flexibility according to Symantec Corp’s. (Nasdaq: SYMC) recent Avoiding the Hidden Costs of Cloud 2013 Survey . In fact, more than 90 percent of all organisations are at least discussing cloud (85 percent in Australia and New Zealand), up from 75 percent a year ago. Other key survey findings showed enterprises and SMBs are experiencing escalating costs tied to rogue cloud use, complex backup and recovery, and inefficient cloud storage. Rogue clouds are defined as business groups implementing public cloud applications that are not managed by or integrated into the company’s IT infrastructure. Industry experts predict several key issues will arise in 2013 focused on the financial pressures and security challenges of cloud computing. Business continuity is seen as an important issue with the increase in cloud outages posing greater risks than security breaches. Over the holidays, a leading cloud service provider experienced an outage, which it quickly remediated. This outage impacted businesses and posed important concerns around data loss prevention, backup, time spent on data recovery and the associated costs. However, with advance preparation, organisations can build safe, agile and efficient clouds that will enable them to meet their business goals. “By taking control of cloud deployments, companies can seize advantage of the flexibility and cost savings associated with the cloud, while minimising the data control and security risks linked with rogue cloud use,” said Francis deSouza, group president, Enterprise Products and Services, Symantec. Rogue Cloud Implementations According to the survey, rogue cloud deployments are one of the cost pitfalls. It is a surprisingly common problem, found in more than three quarters (77 percent) of businesses within the last year (67 percent in ANZ). It also seems to be an issue experienced more by enterprises (83 percent globally, 75 percent in ANZ), due to their larger company size, than SMBs (70 percent globally, 59 percent in ANZ). Among organisations who reported rogue cloud issues, 40 percent experienced the exposure of confidential information (ANZ 31 percent), and more than a quarter faced account takeover issues (ANZ 23 percent), defacement of web properties (ANZ 15 percent), or stolen goods or services (ANZ 27 percent). The most commonly cited reasons for undertaking rogue cloud projects were to save time and money. Cloud Backup and Recovery Issues Cloud is complicating backup and recovery. First, most organisations use three or more solutions to back-up their physical, virtual and cloud data – leading to increased IT inefficiencies, risk and training costs. Furthermore, 43 percent of organisations (same in ANZ) have lost cloud data (Globally: 47 percent of enterprises; 36 percent of SMBs. ANZ: 49 percent of enterprises and 36 percent of SMBs), and most (68 percent globally, 70 percent in ANZ) have experienced recovery failures. Finally, most see cloud recovery as a slow, tedious process. Only 32 percent rate this as fast (19 percent in ANZ) and 22 percent estimate it would take three or more days to recover from a catastrophic loss of data in the cloud (ANZ 25 percent). Inefficient Cloud Storage One of the key advantages to cloud storage is how simple it is to provision. Sometimes this simplicity leads to inefficient cloud storage. Generally, organisations strive to maintain a storage utilisation rate above 50 percent. According to the survey, cloud storage utilisation is surprisingly low at 17 percent (only global figures available). There is a tremendous difference in this area between enterprises (which are utilising 26 percent of their storage) and SMBs (which is a shockingly low seven percent). Furthermore, roughly half admit very little, if any, of their cloud data is deduplicated (53 percent in ANZ), further compounding the problem. Compliance and eDiscovery Concerns According to the survey, 49 percent of organisations are concerned about meeting compliance requirements in the cloud (27 percent in ANZ), and a slightly larger number (53 percent globally, 36 percent in ANZ) are concerned about being able to prove they have met cloud compliance requirements. This concern about information in the cloud is well founded, as 23 percent of organisations have been fined for cloud privacy violations (18 percent in ANZ). eDiscovery is creating additional pressure on businesses to quickly find the right information. One-third of businesses reported receiving eDiscovery requests for cloud data (ANZ 22 percent). Of those, two-thirds have missed their cloud discovery deadlines, leading to fines and legal risks. Data in Transit Issues Organisations have all sorts of assets in the cloud – such as web properties, online businesses or web applications – that require SSL certificates to protect the data in transit whether it is personal or financial information, business transactions and other online interactions. The survey showed companies found managing many SSL certificates to be highly complex: Just 27 percent rate cloud SSL certificate management as easy (ANZ 32 percent) and only 40 percent are certain their cloud-partner’s certificates are in compliance with corporate standards (ANZ 30 percent). Hidden Costs Are Easily Avoided The survey shows ignoring these hidden costs will have a serious impact on business. However, these issues are easily mitigated with careful planning, implementation and management: Focus policies on information and people, not technologies or platformsEducate, monitor and enforce policiesEmbrace tools that are platform agnosticDeduplicate data in the cloud Symantec’s Avoiding the Hidden Costs of Cloud 2013 Survey Symantec’s 2013 Cloud Survey is a result of research conducted by ReRez in September-October 2012. The full study represents 3,236 organisations from 29 countries. Responses came from companies with a range of five to more than 5,000 employees. Of those responses, 1,358 came from SMBs and 1,878 came from enterprises. 200 organisations were surveyed across the ANZ region encompassing both large enterprises and SMBs Read more detailed blog post: Avoiding Hidden Costs in the Cloud Resources Report: Avoiding the Hidden Costs of Cloud 2013 Survey ResultsSlideShare: Avoiding the Hidden Costs of Cloud Survey 2013 ResultsSlideShare: Avoiding the Hidden Costs of Cloud Survey SMB 2013 ResultsInformation Unleashed Blog Post: Avoiding Hidden Costs in the CloudThe Confident SMB Blog Post: Avoiding Hidden Costs in the Cloud Connect with Symantec Follow Symantec on TwitterJoin Symantec on FacebookView Symantec’s SlideShare ChannelSubscribe to Symantec News RSS FeedVisit Symantec Connect Business Community About Symantec Symantec protects the world’s information, and is a global leader in security, backup and availability solutions. Our innovative products and services protect people and information in any environment – from the smallest mobile device, to the enterprise data centre, to cloud-based systems. Our world-renowned expertise in protecting data, identities and interactions gives our customers confidence in a connected world. More information is available at www.symantec.com or by connecting with Symantec at: go.symantec.com/socialmedia. ### NOTE TO EDITORS: If you would like additional information on Symantec Corporation and its products, please visit the Symantec News Room at http://www.symantec.com/news. All prices noted are in U.S. dollars and are valid only in the United States. 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: Any forward-looking indication of plans for products is preliminary and all future release dates are tentative and are subject to change. Any future release of the product or planned modifications to product capability, functionality, or feature are subject to ongoing evaluation by Symantec, and may or may not be implemented and should not be considered firm commitments by Symantec and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. For more information please contact:Kara Jecks Max Australia +61 433 033 135 kara.jecks@maxaustralia.com.au Catriona Turner Symantec Corporation +61 2 9086 8755 catriona_turner@symantec.com

2012-12-18T00:35:00Z desktop-application-virtualisation-on-to-do-list-for-aussie-it-personnel

Media Alert - SYDNEY, Australia. December 18, 2012 Canvassing opinions at what has become one of the industry’s most celebrated IT events, 248 vForum attendees last month answered a range of questions from Newspoll about what was on their IT agenda. While most respondents said their web servers were virtualised (76%), only 43 percent of respondents said their organisation had virtualised desktop applications in the datacentre. Intriguing is the subsequent indication this will quickly change, with 26 percent saying a move toward desktop virtualisation was on the agenda.* Key Newspoll survey findings: 50 percent of respondents have virtualised more than 75 percent of their servers78 percent of respondents have virtualised business critical applications83 percent of respondents have secured their virtual environmentAmong respondents who have secured their virtual environment, only 41 percent have done so with a product from a specialist virtual security provider82 percent of respondents virtualise with VMware today “What this survey tells us is virtualisation underpins every aspect of the data centre,” said Sean Kopelke, director, specialist solutions, Pacific region, Symantec. “Organisations have gained the confidence to virtualise both their non-critical and business applications to realise the benefits of increased performance and efficiency.” Nearly half (48 percent) of the Newspoll survey respondents were IT or Server Administrators, followed by IT Managers accounting for 15 percent of respondents. Forty-two percent of respondents came from organisations of 1,000 or more employees, while the next highest group of respondents came from organisations with between 11 and 100 employees at 19 percent. “Whether a large organisation or a smaller company, the majority of businesses are looking to virtualise at least a part of their environment,” said Kopelke. “We see threats continue to put pressure on IT Managers and Administrators across the board. In Symantec’s most recent Intelligence Report it is clear the threat landscape is evolving constantly, from scammers on social networking sites to new threats such as Ransomware. Virtualisation as the foundation for Cloud means securing the virtual world is key.” “Symantec recently launched Endpoint Protection Small Business Edition 2013, to give small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) choice by offering a cloud-managed service and traditional on-premise management in a single endpoint protection product, this is in addition to the enterprise offering Symantec Endpoint Protection 12. The interconnectedness of public, private and hybrid clouds enabled by virtualisation means security of the virtual ecosystem across organisations of all shapes and sizes is paramount,” explained Kopelke. Symantec provides solutions and technical integrations with VMware across its product portfolio to provide higher levels of protection for virtualised environments. Together, Symantec and VMware enable SMBs and enterprises to use the benefits of virtualisation without compromising protection. About Symantec Symantec protects the world’s information, and is the global leader in security, backup and availability solutions. Our innovative products and services protect people and information in any environment – from the smallest mobile device, to the enterprise data center, to cloud-based systems. Our industry-leading expertise in protecting data, identities and interactions gives our customers’ confidence in a connected world. More information is available at www.symantec.com or by connecting with Sy mantec at: go.symantec.com/socialmedia. * This study was conducted in November 2012 by Newspoll face-to-face among n=248 respondents who attended the VMware Virtualisation Forum 2012 IT conference in Sydney. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: Any forward-looking indication of plans for products is preliminary and all future release dates are tentative and are subject to change. Any future release of the product or planned modifications to product capability, functionality, or feature are subject to ongoing evaluation by Symantec, and may or may not be implemented and should not be considered firm commitments by Symantec and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. For more information please contact:Aaron Crowther Max Australia +61 2 9469 5749 aaron.crowther@maxaustralia.com.au Catriona Turner Symantec Corporation +61 2 9086 8755 catriona_turner@symantec.com

2012-12-13T01:19:00Z symantec-launches-new-backup-exec-3600-in-australia

Symantec launches new Backup Exec 3600 in Australia Symantec launches the Backup Exec 3600 appliance in Australia SYDNEY, Australia – December 13, 2012 – Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) today announced the Australian launch of a new backup and data management appliance, the Backup Exec 3600. An integrated solution that features backup software and storage hardware in the same device, the Backup Exec 3600 appliance is designed to make it easier for businesses to protect their vital information. According to Symantec’s recent State of Informa tion Survey conducted with 4,506 organisations in 38 countries, the total size of information stored today by all businesses is 2.2 zettabytes and information costs businesses worldwide $1.1 trillion annually. The survey also revealed that 69 percent of the businesses surveyed had experienced some form of information loss due to human error, hardware failure, security breach, and/or lost or stolen devices. In addition, some 25 percent of respondents were also challenged by the overwhelming growth of information. With explosive data growth and wide adoption of virtualisation, many organisations are facing more challenges with data backup and recovery as well as higher risks of data loss due to unplanned disruptions such as natural disasters. “To address these data protection and management challenges, we have launched the Backup Exec 3600 appliance in Australia to provide customers with an all-in-one platform that centralises backup for physical and virtual environments and maximises performance with end-to-end deduplication – all on a pre-configured device supported by Symantec,” said Brenton Smith, vice president and managing director, Pacific region, Symantec. “The Backup Exec 3600 appliance is designed to help bring better backup to Australian businesses. There’s nothing to configure and users don’t need to worry about integration between hardware and software. The appliance’s policies and settings are designed so organisations can implement expert backup policies without being experts in backup.” Once operational, the Backup Exec 3600 can store up to 5.5 terabytes of data and does so using RAID 5 technology that ensures data is protected even if a disk drive fails. Off-site backup, or backup to tape, is also possible for businesses which want the extra protection of a copy of their data stored in a separate location. While many solutions require the IT team to integrate multiple solutions for tape, disk, dedupe, physical, virtual snapshots and backup, Symantec appliances are typically installed in less than 30 minutes and deliver integrated hardware, software and dedupe storage, providing customers with simplicity and performance from one vendor. The Backup Exec 3600 appliance is a modern approach to backup. The appliance also includes a redundant disk drive of its own, to ensure the Backup Exec software is always operational. Some additional features include: Next Gen Backup User Experience: Changes the way backups are managed by organising them around systems and information. The Backup Exec 3600 appliance’s policies and settings are designed so organisations can implement expert backup policies without being experts in backup.Symantec V-Ray: Unites virtual and physical backups to deliver single-pass backups of VMware, Hyper-V and the physical hosts they run on so users can recover virtual machines, applications, databases, files, folders and even granular objects in seconds.Free Disaster Recovery Built-In: Integrated bare metal recovery includes Backup-to-Virtual (B2V) and Physical-to-Virtual (P2V) conversion technologies to allow users to recover a failed system to a VMware or Hyper-V guest. All Backup Exec customers who upgrade to BE 2012 have access to this at no cost.Tape-Out Support: Backup Exec 3600 appliance has added tape support for additional longer-term or offsite data protection.Data Deduplication: Users can protect more data while reducing storage by up to 90 percent and improve backup performance through integrated deduplication and archiving technology. “This appliance is designed to meet the needs of mid to large sized businesses which want to protect their data,” Smith said. “A mid-sized business with a lot of files to protect will find everything it needs, and so will a larger organisation that needs to protect several virtual servers. Both will find maximum performance, ample capacity and most importantly of all, easy procedures to recover data.” “That all adds up to better backup, and we believe Australian businesses will appreciate the peace of mind to be able to stop worrying about backup and instead put their energy into using the data stored on this appliance to build their bottom lines,” Smith added. Better Backup for All and Appliances Momentum Since launching its Better Backup for All initiative in February: In the last 12 months Symantec has seen 1,550 percent growth in new appliance customers and 1,800 percent growth in the number of units shipped.Many customers who have purchased Symantec appliances are coming back for more, with sales figures showing 16 percent of purchases have been from repeat customers. Pricing and Availability Symantec Backup Exec 3600 appliances are available now in Australia with pricing starting at AUD$15,995. For more information, please visit www.symantec.com/backup-appliance or www.symantec.com/backup-exec-3600-appliance. About Symantec Symantec protects the world’s information, and is the global leader in security, backup and availability solutions. Our innovative products and services protect people and information in any environment – from the smallest mobile device, to the enterprise data center, to cloud-based systems. Our industry-leading expertise in protecting data, identities and interactions gives our customers confidence in a connected world. More information is available at www.symantec.com or by connecting with Symantec at: go.symantec.com/socialmedia. ### NOTE TO EDITORS: If you would like additional information on Symantec Corporation and its products, please visit the Symantec News Room at http://www.symantec.com/news. All prices noted are in U.S. dollars and are valid only in the United States. 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. For more information please contact:Aaron Crowther Max Australia +61 2 9469 5749 aaron.crowther@maxaustralia.com.au Catriona Turner Symantec Corporation +61 2 9086 8755 catriona_turner@symantec.com

2012-11-19T04:19:00Z symantec-envisions-future-clouds-as-safe-clouds

Symantec Unveils Solution Portfolios for Safe, Agile and Efficient Clouds SYDNEY – 19 November 2012 – Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) today announced its vision for safe, agile and efficient clouds. In five years, companies will operate in a converged IT world of cloud, virtualisation and mobile computing where clouds are safe. IT organisations will have better visibility, control and compliance across their private and public clouds. To get there, Symantec extends its security, data storage and information management expertise to help companies transition to safe clouds of the future. Today, the cloud landscape is rapidly changing. A survey conducted by Symantec has been published showing that between public, private and hybrid deployments, 23 percent of business information globally is being stored in the cloud1. Advanced cyber attacks by governments and crime syndicates will likely target highly profitable data centres and high profile clouds. In the face of these new challenges, organisations of all sizes will need a rigorous cloud approach and industry leading partners to help navigate through cloud complexities. Symantec understands what companies need and will help them successfully migrate into safe clouds. “Symantec has proven solutions with industry leading technologies to protect companies, information and people,” said Francis deSouza, group president, Enterprise Products and Services, Symantec. “Wherever companies go with clouds, Symantec will provide the protection and control they need across public and private cloud environments.” “Fujitsu and Symantec share a vision where cloud computing provides the competitive advantages, flexibility and protection our global customers need,” said Cameron McNaught, senior vice president, Cloud and Strategic Solutions, Fujitsu International Business. “Fujitsu recently completed a global survey of cloud decision makers and found 76 percent of respondents had concerns about cloud security. Symantec and Fujitsu together recognise the current challenges that organisations face when pursuing cloud deployments and together can help them move to the cloud with confidence.” Symantec Vision for Safe Clouds Explosion of many interconnected clouds, architectures and cloud-connected devices The proliferation of cloud-based applications and services will continue to grow as information explodes across IT networks, public and private clouds, mobile devices and other connected endpoints. Companies are shifting to hybrid cloud environments operating in public and private clouds, either hosted on premise or off premise. The cloud complexities increase specifically around protection, data management and control. Clouds of the future will be safe, agile and efficient With safe clouds, companies will transition confidential customer and sensitive business information to the clouds. They will realise the full cloud benefits of increased security, data control and availability while users experience greater productivity and mobile-to-cloud accessibility. In contrast, clouds will deliver improved scalability, affordability and compliance as compared to traditional data centres. Clouds will be the new norm IT will build new clouds and infrastructures from the ground up. Important workloads will shift from on premise to off premise clouds. Companies will reap cloud benefits, cost savings and advanced protection as new business models, new use of technologies and new ways to interact with information become available. As cloud computing advances, a need arises for specialised skills, policies and architectures. Companies will experience new demands around IT risk and compliance, governance, data privacy and regulatory requirements. Symantec’s Role in the New Cloud To achieve this safe cloud environment, the IT industry needs to enforce rigorous cloud strategies around the protection of policy, information, people and infrastructures. Symantec’s comprehensive portfolio provides companies of all sizes a variety of cloud solutions to address their specific needs and current IT environments. “Staying competitive and servicing our banking customers is a top priority for Citizens Business Bank,” said Elsa Zavala, executive vice president and chief information officer, Citizens Business Bank. “We see cloud services as a major advantage for our business, associates, partners, and customers. Symantec provides the expertise, cloud training and integrated safe cloud solutions, leveraging our infrastructures, to deliver on our cloud strategies.” Symantec Cloud Solution Portfolios Symantec breaks down cloud barriers by providing companies with three cloud solution models to best meet their business needs: Businesses extend their IT to leverage third party cloudsEnterprises build their own clouds Companies consume hosted cloud services by cloud service providers Extend into Clouds Safely For businesses extending their IT investments to private and public clouds for cloud applications, storage and virtualised environments, Symantec enables organisations to achieve increased protection, visibility and control of their information. This improved information management provides better insight and audit reporting to efficiently meet compliance and data privacy requirements. New: Symantec File Share Encryption, Powered by PGP Technology, expected availability first half of 2013Symantec O3 secure cloud access control point Build Efficient and Available Private and Public Clouds As Symantec envisions a future world of safe clouds, enterprises today seek the powerful combination of agility and efficiency, promised from cloud computing, with the visibility and control inherent to the data centre. Leveraging enterprises current IT investments, Symantec helps organisations accelerate virtualisation and build highly protected and compliant clouds for safe, available and resilient clouds. New: Symantec Protection Engine for Cloud Service ProvidersVirtual Business Services is a feature of Veritas Cluster Server to ensure multi-tier applications meet the increasing service levels IT organisations are required to deliver Consume Clouds Safely Businesses of all sizes are increasingly migrating to hosted cloud service providers for the competitive advantages that enable them to avoid expensive and complicated IT build outs and to realise improved cost-savings, IT efficiencies, scalability and market agility. Symantec partners with businesses to achieve their cloud strategies and protect the information and people integral to their business, through our current integrated services: New: Symantec Endpoint Protection Small Business Edition 2013 (available now in select countries)Symantec.cloud services including email, web and IM security, archiving and continuity New Cloud Programmes for Companies and Service Providers As clouds become more complex, companies will need to expand their IT expertise in order to execute cloud policies and architectures. Symantec introduces two new cloud training programmes. New: Symantec Cloud Security Essentials Training ProgrammeNew: Symantec CloudSmart for Service Providers For more information on the full line of new Symantec cloud-enabled solutions, services and programmes, go to the Symantec Cloud website at: www.symantec.com/cloud. Analyst Quote Gartner Research “The industry recognises that protection and information management technologies found in traditional IT are accelerating cloud advancements. Companies are looking for secure private and public clouds that ensure their data and people are protected,” according to David Mitchell Smith, vice president and Gartner Fellow at Gartner Research. Read more detailed blog posts: Vision for a Cloud-Centric WorldSymantec Many Clouds, Safe Clouds, How to Get ThereSymantec and Partners: Helping Businesses Achieve Safe CloudsSymantec O3: Single Sign-on for Safe Clouds AdoptionSymantec Encryption for a Mobile WorldSecuring Cloud Storage: Balancing the Need to Share and Protect DataSymantec Endpoint Protection Small Business Edition 2013, Threats Stop Business – We Stop ThreatsFoundation of Clouds Built on Symantec SSL Security Resources Symantec Cloud Solutions Overview (PDF)Press Kit: Symantec Cloud VisionSlideShare: Symantec Envisions Future Clouds as Safe CloudsSymantec Cloud Solutions WebsiteVideo: Symantec Secures CloudsVideo: Symantec Keeps Clouds Available Video: Symantec File Share Encryption Demo Podcast: Symantec’s Cloud VisionSymantec Cloud Security Essentials TrainingSymantec CloudSmart for Service Providers Connect with Symantec Follow Symantec on TwitterJoin Symantec on FacebookView Symantec’s SlideShare ChannelSubscribe to Symantec News RSS FeedVisit Symantec Connect Business Community About Symantec Symantec protects the world’s information, and is a global leader in security, backup and availability solutions. Our innovative products and services protect people and information in any environment – from the smallest mobile device, to the enterprise data centre, to cloud-based systems. Our world-renowned expertise in protecting data, identities and interactions gives our customers confidence in a connected world. More information is available at www.symantec.com or by connecting with Symantec at: go.symantec.com/socialmedia. ### 1 Symantec 2012 State of Information Report: Digital Information Index, full report was published 13 November 2012 NOTE TO EDITORS: If you would like additional information on Symantec Corporation and its products, please visit the Symantec News Room at http://www.symantec.com/news. All prices noted are in U.S. dollars and are valid only in the United States. 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: Any forward-looking indication of plans for products is preliminary and all future release dates are tentative and are subject to change. Any future release of the product or planned modifications to product capability, functionality, or feature are subject to ongoing evaluation by Symantec, and may or may not be implemented and should not be considered firm commitments by Symantec and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. For more information please contact:Kara Jecks Max Australia +61 433 033 135 kara.jecks@maxaustralia.com.au Debbie Sassine Symantec Corporation +61 2 9086 2140 debbie_sassine@symantec.com

2012-11-16T03:35:00Z symantec-s-digital-information-index-reveals-half-of-business-information-resides-outside-the-firewall

Symantec’s Digital Information Index Reveals Half of Business Information Resides Outside the Firewall Cloud and mobile computing driving information sprawl: ANZ leading mobile storage after India SYDNEY, Australia – November 16, 2012 – Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC) has launched its first Digital Information Index highlighting the significant impact that cloud computing and mobility are having on businesses today. The 2012 State of Information Report reveals the benefits but also growing challenges of “information sprawl” as organisations increase the level of information stored and accessed outside of the firewall. A surge in mobility is contributing to the sprawl, with smartphone and tablets in ANZ storing around 46 percent of business information, second only to India (62per cent). Read more detailed blog post: Mobility and Cloud Computing Are Driving Information Sprawl Blog “Businesses are undergoing a transformation unlike anything we’ve seen before. With mobile devices and cloud giving employees access to information from nearly anywhere, we’re also seeing more sensitive information living beyond the traditional IT boundaries,” said Sean Kopelke, Director, Specialist Solutions, Pacific region. “This is creating concern about how to best protect this information.” Information Sprawl Globally, almost half (46 percent) of an organisation’s information is being stored outside of its own data centre. At 53 percent, small and medium businesses (SMBs) outpace enterprises when it comes to information residing outside the firewall, when taking into account mobile devices and laptops. In some countries this number rises to more than half, such as India (83 percent), China (60 percent) and Singapore (60 percent). Symantec has created a Digital Information Index to represent this information sprawl visually and provide a barometer of where information sits today in different parts of the world. The Index highlights markets experiencing high information sprawl – such as India and China where other markets are dealing with less information sprawl, such as Japan and France. Modern technologies and information sprawl clearly has benefits, but over a quarter of businesses surveyed have experienced challenges as a result. More than one-third of businesses had experienced the exposure of confidential information as a result of lost or stolen mobile devices. Other issues arise from being unable to find what they need, with a large proportion of their information being unorganised or difficult to find. And even within the firewall, their storage utilisation is at just 31 percent, dipping even lower outside the data centre. The Impact of Mobility and the Cloud The surge in mobility is contributing to information sprawl. In fact, smartphones and tablets store 14 percent of business information globally. For enterprises, this is 14 percent, compared to 11 percent for SMBs. This number is much higher in countries including India (62 percent), Australia and New Zealand (46 percent) and Italy (38 percent). Information accessed on mobile devices is even higher at 28 percent globally. Here again we see enterprises leading with 31 percent, compared to 25 percent for SMBs. Once again India is higher than average, with 43 percent of its information being accessed on smartphones and tablets, joined by Brazil (42 percent), Singapore (39) percent and Malaysia (38 percent.) In addition, the advantages in cost and agility presented by cloud computing are leading to significant use of the cloud to store business information. Globally, almost a quarter (23 percent) of business information is stored in the cloud, between public, private and hybrid deployments. This number is particularly high in Indonesia (45 percent), China (39 percent), Vietnam (34 percent) and Japan (32 percent). Protecting Information in Today’s Environment In light of this shift beyond the data centre, making information management a priority is more important than ever. To minimise information sprawl and its effects on the organisation, Symantec has developed the following recommendations: Focus on the information, not the device or data centre: With BYOD and cloud, information is no longer within the four walls of a company. Protection must focus on the information, not the device or data centre.Not all information is equal: Business must be able to separate useless data from valuable business information and protect it accordingly.Be efficient: Deduplication and archiving help companies protect more, but store less to keep pace with exponential data growth.Consistency is key: It is important to set consistent policies for information that can be enforced wherever it’s located... physical, mobile, virtual and cloud environments.Stay agile: Plan for your future information needs by implementing a flexible infrastructure to support continued growth. Resources Report: State of Information Survey Results 2012Infographic: Digital Information IndexPresentation: State of Information Survey Results 2012Mobility and Cloud Computing Are Driving Information Sprawl Blog Connect with Symantec Follow Symantec on TwitterJoin Symantec on FacebookView Symantec’s SlideShare ChannelSubscribe to Symantec News RSS FeedVisit Symantec Connect Business Community About Symantec Symantec protects the world’s information, and is a global leader in security, backup and availability solutions. Our innovative products and services protect people and information in any environment – from the smallest mobile device, to the enterprise data centre, to cloud-based systems. Our world-renowned expertise in protecting data, identities and interactions gives our customers confidence in a connected world. More information is available at www.symantec.com or by connecting with Symantec at: go.symantec.com/socialmedia. ### NOTE TO EDITORS: If you would like additional information on Symantec Corporation and its products, please visit the Symantec News Room at http://www.symantec.com/news. All prices noted are in U.S. dollars and are valid only in the United States. 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: Any forward-looking indication of plans for products is preliminary and all future release dates are tentative and are subject to change. Any future release of the product or planned modifications to product capability, functionality, or feature are subject to ongoing evaluation by Symantec, and may or may not be implemented and should not be considered firm commitments by Symantec and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. For more information please contact:Kara Jecks Max Australia +61 433 033 135 kara.jecks@maxaustralia.com.au Debbie Sassine Symantec Corporation +61 2 9086 2140 debbie_sassine@symantec.com

2012-09-24T00:00:00Z data-breach-trends-in-2012-symantec-august-intelligence-report

Data Breach Trends in 2012 – Symantec August Intelligence Report Good morning, Over the last year and half data breaches of all kinds having been making headlines. From high profile breaches involving millions of identities, to smaller more targeted attacks involving only a handful of identities, new data from Symantec shows that the average number of breaches in 2012 isn’t slowing down. But what’s interesting is that the number of identities compromised in these breaches is on the decline. Symantec’s August Intelligence Report compares late 2011 with the year so far to identify new trends and dive deeper into the data behind data breaches. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to speak to someone at Symantec about the report. To download the full report, please click here. Thanks, James For more information please contact: James Curtis Max Australia +61 2 9469 5740 james.curtis@maxaustralia.com.au Debbie Sassine Symantec Corporation +61 2 9086 2140 debbie_sassine@symantec.com

2012-08-23T01:27:00Z new-malware-osx-crisis-spreads-to-mac-windows-virtual-machines-and-windows-mobile

New malware OSX.Crisis spreads to Mac, Windows, virtual machines, and Windows Mobile Symantec reported a new malware for Mac called OSX.Crisis. Crisis malware has functionality to spread to four different environments: Mac, Windows, virtual machines, and Windows Mobile. It is an advanced threat not only in function, but also in the way it spreads. The threat uses three methods to spread itself: one is to copy itself and an autorun.inf file to a removable disk drive, another is to sneak onto a VMware virtual machine, and the final method is to drop modules onto a Windows Mobile device. Specifically in virtual environments, the threat searches for a VMware virtual machine image on the compromised computer and, if it finds an image, it mounts the image and then copies itself onto the image by using a VMware Player tool. It does not use a vulnerability in the VMware software itself. It takes advantage of an attribute of all virtualisation software: namely that the virtual machine is simply a file or series of files on the disk of the host machine. These files can usually be directly manipulated or mounted, even when the virtual machine is not running as is the case above. This may be the first malware that attempts to spread onto a virtual machine. Many threats will terminate themselves when they find a virtual machine monitoring application, such as VMware, to avoid being analysed, so this may be the next leap forward for malware authors. To read the blog, click here: http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/crisis-windows-sneaks-virtual-machines If you have any questions or would like to speak with an expert from Symantec, please let me know. Thanks, James For more information please contact:James Curtis Max Australia +61 2 9469 5740 james.curtis@maxaustralia.com.au Debbie Sassine Symantec Corporation +61 2 9086 2140 debbie_sassine@symantec.com

2012-08-17T04:51:00Z the-shamoon-attacks

Good afternoon, Symantec has identified a new series of targeted attacks, dubbed the Shamoon attacks, affecting at least one organisation in the energy sector. Unlike the current trend in targeted attacks that focus on stealing sensitive information, the Shamoon attacks seek to render infected computers unusable by corrupting critical files. The attacks leverage the destructive Disttrack malware, which in addition to corrupting files, overwrites infected machines’ mater boot records. The malware also has a suicide function that results in the malware removing itself after it has accomplished its purpose. More information is available in the following blog post: http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/shamoon-attacks. Please let me know if you would like to discuss this threat in greater detail with a Symantec researcher. Thanks, James The Shamoon Attacks W32.Disttrack is a new threat that is being used in specific targeted attacks against at least one organisation in the energy sector. It is a destructive malware that corrupts files on a compromised computer and overwrites the MBR (Master Boot Record) in an effort to render a computer unusable. W32.Disttrack consists of several components: Dropper—the main component and source of the original infection. It drops a number of other modules.Wiper—this module is responsible for the destructive functionality of the threat.Reporter—this module is responsible for reporting infection information back to the attacker. Dropper Component The Dropper component performs the following actions: Copies itself to %System%trksvr.exeDrops the following files embedded into resources: A 64-bit version of the dropper component: %System%trksrv.exe (contained in the “X509” resource)Reporter component: %System%netinit.exe (contained in the "PKCS7" resource)Wiper component: %System%[NAME SELECTED FROM LIST].exe (contained in the "PKCS12" resource) Note: The name of the component is selected from the following list: caclsrvcertutlcleanctrldfragdnslookupdvdqueryeventextractfindfilefsutlgpgetiissrvipsecuremsinitntxntdsutlntfrsutilntnwpowerrdsadminregsysroutemanrrasrvsacsessfmscsigversmbinitwcscript Copies itself to the following network shares: ADMIN$C$\WINDOWSD$\WINDOWSE$\WINDOWS Creates a task to execute itselfCreates the following service to start itself whenever Windows starts: Service name: TrkSvrDisplay name: Distributed Link Tracking ServerImage path: C:WINDOWSsystem32trksvr.exe Wiper Component The Wiper component includes the following functionality: Deletes an existing driver from the following location and overwrites it with another legitimate driver: %System%driversdrdisk.sysThe device driver is a clean disk driver that enables user-mode applications to read and write to disk sectors. The driver is used to overwrite the computer’s MBR but may be used for legitimate purposes.The file is digitally signed Executes the following commands that collect file names, which will be overwritten and writes them to f1.infand f2.inf: Files from the f1.inf and f2.inf will be overwritten with the JPEG image shown below. Overwritten files are thus rendered useless.Finally, the component will overwrite the MBR so that the compromised computer can no longer start Figure 1. Image used to overwrite files The following string that points to the location of debug symbols was left in the Wiper component of this threat and gives an idea of where the component was located on the developer’s computer: C:ShamoonArabianGulfwiperreleasewiper.pdb Reporter Component The Reporter component is responsible for sending infection information back to the attacker. Information is sent as a HTTP GET request and is structured as follows: http://%s/ajax_modal/modal/data.asp?[MYDATA]=%s&[UID]=%s&[STATE]=%d The following data is sent to the attacker: [MYDATA]—a number that specifies how many files were overwritten[UID]—the IP address of the compromised computer[STATE]—a random number Threats with such destructive payloads are unusual and are not typical of targeted attacks. Symantec Security Response is continuing to analyse this threat and will post more information as it becomes available. Symantec customers are protected from this threat, which our security products detect as W32.Disttrack. For more information please contact:James Curtis Max Australia +61 2 9469 5740 james.curtis@maxaustralia.com.au Debbie Sassine Symantec Corporation +61 2 9086 2140 debbie_sassine@symantec.com

2012-08-09T06:23:00Z symantec-intelligence-report-july-2012-1

Symantec Intelligence Report: July 2012 Attacks use Olympics as bait for spam, malware and phishing attacks; the state of Web attack toolkits in 2012 Welcome to the July edition of the Symantec Intelligence report, which provides the latest analysis of cyber security threats, trends, and insights from the Symantec Intelligence team concerning malware, spam, and other potentially harmful business risks. The data used to compile the analysis for this report includes data from January through June 2012. Report highlights: Spam – 67.6 percent (an increase of 0.8 percentage points since June): page 12Phishing – One in 475.3 emails identified as phishing (a decrease of 0.003 percentage points since June): page 15 Malware – One in 340.9 emails contained malware (a decrease of 0.023 percentage points since June): page 17Malicious Web sites – 2,189 Web sites blocked per day (an increase of 4.0 percent since June): page 18Olympic related scams and threats to keep an eye on: page 2Web attack toolkit activity in the first six months of 2012: page 6A roundup of the best blogs of the last month: page 9 To download the full report click here. For more information please contact:Aaron Crowther Max Australia +61 2 9469 5749 aaron.crowther@maxaustralia.com.au Don Wilmot Symantec Analyst Relations +65 6413 4179 Don_Wilmot@symantec.com