Symantec: SaaS Surprises Coming?

The IT channel, it seems, is converging in Orlando the week of Nov. 2. We've already offered previews of the HTG Peer Group gathering and ConnectWise Partner Summit. But don't forget: Symantec will be in town for Symantec Partner Engage... and it's safe to bet that Symantec could unveil some SaaS surprises for VARs and managed service providers. Here's why.

As The VAR Guy points out, Symantec seems to be de-emphasizing or abandoning the Symantec Protection Network (SPN) brand in favor of a Symantec Hosted Services effort. SPN had been Symantec's go-to brand for managed SaaS storage, and the company had been working to extend SPN to security.

Frankly, I'm shocked Symantec doesn't have dominant mind share and market share positions in the SaaS industry. After all, nearly 70 percent of MSPs offer managed storage and nearly 85 percent offer managed security, according to the ongoing MSPmentor 100 survey, which continues through Dec. 11, 2009.

Considering Symantec's presence in the traditional security and storage markets, I assumed Symantec would have wild success in emerging SaaS alternatives. In reality, Symantec has been rethinking its SaaS strategy under VP Adrian Chamberlain. The latest results from those efforts could emerge at Nov. 4-6 at Symantec Partner Engage.

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