Behind Symantec-Altiris

Symantec caught The VAR Guy’s attention this morning when the company announced plans to acquire Altiris.

Full disclosure: The VAR Guy moderated CIO events for both Symantec and Altiris in 2005 and early 2006, so he sees clear synergies between the two companies. Yes, both are focused on the channel. And Altiris allows Symantec to push deeper into asset management, configuration management and virtualization–big areas for VARs these days.

Wall Street doesn’t like the timing of the deal. Investors wanted Symantec to iron out internal IT integration challenges before making another acquisition. But Symantec likely felt pressure to make a move. Fast.

After all, several IT watchers speculated that Altiris would attract buyers this year. Interested suitors likely included Novell, according to eWeek.

At a time when investors want immediate results, Symantec CEO John Thompson continues to take a long-term view.