“We are proactively asking partners for their feedback all over the world and then we work on these suggestions at a local level”

You can take a man out of technology, but you can't take technology out of a

man. This is very true of Darrell Riddle. He has been with Symantec and in the

security field for over 15 years. And he expects to be in this field for several

more years, which is becoming more dynamic as months go by

What new products from Symantec are in the pipeline?



We launched the BackUp Exec 11D in November 2006 worldwide, though this has

not been launched in a big way in India. At the moment, we are trying to spread

the word about this product among our channel. This is to ensure that when we

make some noise about the products among our customers, our partners are well

aware of its technicalities and can address all end-user queries. 

Can you give more details about BackUp Exec 11D?



The Backup Exec 11D is a Windows Servers software, developed primarily for

small and mid-sized organizations, to offer continuous data protection beyond

Microsoft Windows file servers and workstations to include Microsoft Exchange.

This eliminates the need for daily Exchange backups and time-consuming

mailbox backups.

It features the granular recovery technology that enables recovery of

critical data from Microsoft applications like Exchange, SharePoint, Active

Directory and more in just seconds. Additionally, it provides enhanced data

security with 128-bit and 256-bit AES encryption capabilities, and extends

platform support with Backup Exec media servers running on x64-bit Windows

servers.

Incidentally, BackUp Exec 11D is our largest ever release. We have covered

over 73 new key areas, while developing it.  

Darrell Riddle Director-Product Management, Symantec Corporation

Why is Symantec suddenly focusing on the SMB segment, with products like

BackUp Exec 11D?



The reason is pretty simple. Enterprises are well aware of the importance of

data and have a strategy to protect it. They have IT departments with trained

personnel to look after data management alone. But the SMB segment does not have

such resources.

Also in India awareness about data security and backup is still not very high

in the SMB space. Additionally these customers usually rely largely on Windows

OS for their desktops and servers. But currently, there is quite a bit of

migration taking place to other OS as well.

For instance, a SMB customer buys an old Windows box and then as the OS

starts needing more and more memory, they simply take Linux. With this kind of

multi-vendor environment, they need more protection for their data. Which is why

we have introduced the BackUp Exec 11D, which is more like a plug and forget

software with lot of autonomy built in. 

But is the SMB really ready for this kind of products?



You have to understand that unlike the enterprise, the SMB segment operates

on a different level. Firstly, they might not have the dedicated technical

expertise that will deploy the latest systems. Secondly, they do not have large

IT budgets and have to maximize their investment. Additionally, SMB business

people prefer to invest in technology, which are legacy compatible and also can

seamlessly integrate into the existing IT infrastructure. We have over 104

pick-and-choose products that this particular vertical can choose. And we are

bullish about making sure that these options are available to them.

Is your channel equipped enough to offer service for products like the

BackUp Exec 11d?



There is not much servicing required for a product like BackUp Exec 11D. It

is more like an install and forget software with a few clicks for the

installation process.

But yes, we take our partner's competence issues very seriously and are

always rolling out new programs for it. We have even started offering customized

training courses for them, based on their technological requirements. This is

because we don't see the point of giving all of Symantec's 140 products, if it

does not fit their core competency. In fact during this trip itself, I have

trained around 50 partners on BackUp Exec 11D.

Additionally we are proacti­vely asking partners for their feedback all over

the world and then we work on these suggestions at a local level. We have

invested heavily into our partner portal, PartnerNet, which is comprehensive and

has information about all our  offerings, schemes, offers and the support

that we extend to our partners. 

What other products can partners expect from Symantec?



We will be launching the Ghost Solutions Suite shortly. Though this solution

is over a decade old, we are adding enhancements to it all the time. So with the

new additions, customers can migrate their systems quickly to Windows Vista and

protect their businesses from emerging threats and IT risks.

At the moment, we are really excited about our offerings for Vista OS, which

will be out in 2007. Our new versions of Symantec Anti-Virus Corporate Edition

10.2 will provide automatic defense and response against viruses and spyware or

adware for Vista. Its beta versions are already available on our website. Since

Symantec's first beta version was posted in December 2005, there have been more

than 70,000 downloads from customers wanting the real-time automated protection

of our security solution while testing Microsoft's new operating system.

My job role primarily is to work with our R&D teams worldwide and find out

how we can enhance our product offerings. One of our R&D labs is in Pune and I

keep getting a lot of ideas from my team here. Some of them are viable and we

are working on them. So you can expect some more announcements from Symantec

shortly.

-VINITA BHATIA