Symantec Data Protection Solutions Preferred by Users and Industry Experts

Veritas NetBackup and Symantec Backup Exec achieve worldwide recognitions, awards

CUPERTINO, Calif. – Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) today announced that users, analysts and editors worldwide continue to recognize Veritas NetBackup, Backup Exec and Backup Exec System Recovery as market leading data protection solutions for organizations across all market segments, from small business to large enterprises.

“Symantec is the world leader in data protection, and these honors validate our strategy to deliver innovative solutions focusing on integration of next generation technologies,” said Deepak Mohan, senior vice president, Symantec Data Protection Group. “One size does not fit all, and consequently we offer a broad range of complete data protection solutions optimized for their respective markets to help businesses reduce backup and recovery times and control costs.”

Recently, Symantec received a “positive” rating in the Gartner MarketScope for Enterprise Backup/Recovery Software[1] based on product strategy, innovation, customer experience, and market responsiveness, among other criteria. According to the report, “Backup vendors have seen the change in the market and have already begun to change, extending their products to better support disk-based recovery solutions and associated storage targets, such as virtual tape and deduplication offerings.”

The report also states, “Vendors that offer a well integrated, feature-rich solution set at an acceptable price point will win out in the marketplace over narrowly focused vendors.” In early June, Symantec announced a series of product updates to its Veritas NetBackup platform, including the integration of data deduplication and continuous data protection, to provide improved manageability from a single solution. In addition, the NetBackup platform now offers market leading granular recovery capabilities for Windows and VMware environments.

Symantec data protection solutions also earned recognition from editors with proven industry expertise. The editors at Everything Channel’s CRN reviewed hundreds of products this year and selected Symantec Backup Exec as one of the hottest mid-market products in its June 16, 2008 issue.

Users continue to cast their votes for Symantec. In May 2008, MSExchange.org readers selected Backup Exec as the winner of the Readers’ Choice Award for Exchange Backup and Recovery, a distinction Symantec has earned every year since 2003. MSExchange.org readers are comprised of Exchange administrators and specialists in their field who vote annually for the products they view as the very best in their respective category. From a field of more than 10 competitors, Backup Exec was named the top solution for Exchange backup and recovery receiving 48 percent of respondents’ votes. This recognition validates Symantec’s innovative, patent-pending Granular Recovery Technology it first introduced in Backup Exec and recently added to its NetBackup platform, allowing for quick recovery of an entire system or individual file from single-pass image backup of Microsoft Exchange, as well as Windows, SharePoint and VMware servers.

In addition, Symantec dominated SmallBusinessComputing.com’s 2008 Excellence in Technology Awards. Readers voted Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery the best network backup solution and the best PC backup solution within the Security Category.

Additional Recognitions:

* ImpulseGamer recognized Backup Exec 12 and Backup Exec System Recovery 8 with positive reviews. The review states: “In conclusion, Symantec Backup Exec 12 for Windows Servers is a very powerful program that contains a multitude of software options in the world of backups…Amazing!” (May 2008)
* Bios Magazine UK reviewed Backup Exec for Windows Servers and touted it as “one of the best Windows data protection solutions that provides disk-to-disk and disk-to-tape backup.” The review also stated that “Backup Exec 12 offers an excellent range of features, is easy to use and is supported by one of the largest names in Windows software.” (May 2008)
* PC Magazine Belgium tested various backup products and chose Symantec Backup Exec 11d as its favorite. “Symantec Backup Exec provides extended features and support for backups of all possible business applications.” (April 2008)
* Computerworld Magazine Czech Republic reviewed Backup Exec 12, stating “Backup Exec belongs to the best backup software that you can get in the market. The 12 version, its functions and available supplements, reflects all users´ requirements.” (April 2008)

As the leader in data protection, Symantec protects more than half of the world’s business data and provides complete enterprise data protection across virtual environments, remote offices, desktops, laptops, servers, applications and databases. Symantec also offers comprehensive solutions for disk-based backup and delivers market-leading recovery capabilities.