Symantec Layoffs Hit Top Execs

[OhioChick]

Source: Channel Web Network

November 26, 2007

Symantec's wave of layoffs has reached high levels of the company. In keeping with its ongoing campaign to cut costs, the IT security giant Symantec recently laid off two of its top executives.
Those included in the recent downsizing are Marlene Williamson, Vice President of Americas Marketing, and Erna Arnesen, VP Global SMB and Industry and Partner Marketing.

While Symantec declined to comment on the status of the specific employees, a spokesperson stated via e-mail that, "Symantec continues to have a strong focus on controlling its costs and has set cost saving targets for each business function. In some instances, headcount reductions will be implemented as part of the ongoing cost savings initiative."

Earlier this month, Symantec announced that it planned a series of cutbacks that would impact just under 3 percent of its global workforce, but would not, however, affect all of the company's business units. The layoffs come at a time when Symantec is simultaneously engaged in deals to acquire more companies, including the recent $350 million acquisition of data loss prevention vendor Vontu.

What the most recent round of layoffs will mean to channel partners still remains to be determined.



Read more: http://www.crn.com/security/204203601

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"Layoffs Hit Top Execs?" :nopity:

[DS1]

1. can they get rid of the guys who made Norton "anything" a giant bloated piece

of crap?>

[lanlady]

3. ain't that the truth

I used to love the Norton products but... no longer. 10 years ago, I couldn't do without Norton Utilities for Mac and PC. Then they started to jack up the price while reducing functionality and ease of use. I don't know what possessed them--maybe they gave up on the home PC market to focus on corporate customers only--but at a certain point I realized this was no longer software "for the masses."

[Deja Q]

2. John W Thompson, ever since ditching IBM*, to become Symantec's CEO, should go...

The last Symantec product I used was in 2003; and even then other people had lots of complaints about Symantec software as well.



* He ran the OS/2 Marketing division at IBM and helped to kill it off too.

[valerief]

4. Well, they were only women. It's not like they have families to

support.

WHAT? Don't look at me that way. It's 1933, isn't it? It sure seems like it.

[aquart]

5. If they cut executive salaries they could keep everyone.

But nooooo.

[LiberalFighter]

6. I bought my last Symantec product last week. Never again.

It was the 360 and I couldn't receive email. I was using Internet Security 2006 and Systemworks before upgrading. I was fine the night of the installation but I turned off the computer for the night. After turning it back on in the morning it didn't work. I used their chat support (someone named Neensha or something) for over an hour trying to get it to work. After 3 or 4 solutions I told them I was through and wouldn't buy their product anymore. I had first used Q&A before starting to use their other products.

After I uninstalled 360 my computer shuts down much faster without the usual ccapp error message that I had with the other Norton software.

I purchased 360 for about $30 and Staples had it for free this past Friday.

Besides having their call center in India they must be outsourcing the programming their too.