Symantec 1996 Annual Report Download - page 15

T h e t i d e h a s finally begun to turn. The
decentralization of corporate and depart m e n t a l
computing that resulted from the virtually
u n f e t t e red growth of P Cs has now slowly begun
to yield administrative power back to its proper
stewards: the network administrators.
T h e r e was only one way that this could
happen: through the framew o rk of a dedicated
a rc h i t e c t u re that supported a distributed,
heterogeneous computing environment, with an
underlying mechanism for centralized control.
At Symantec, fiscal 1996 saw the implementation
of the final phase of our No rton En t e r p r i s e
Framework, a comprehensive, five-year effort to
d e l i ver just such an arc h i t e c t u re for prov i d i n g
integrated, platform-independent, centralize d
network administration solutions.
The resulting benefits for users during the
year we re many. Not the least of these was the
introduction of a range of network management
p r oducts, including our new, low-cost No rt o n
Ad m i n i s t rator Su i t e - Essential Ed i t i o n. No rt o n
Ad m i n i s t rator Su i t e p r ovides a single, integrated
interface for a variety of network management
components in smaller LAN environments, such
as hard w a re and software inve n t o ry, software
distribution, software-license metering, and more .
A premier edition of the program, for managing
larger LA Ns and WA Ns, is in development and
expected to be released in fiscal 1997.
Common user interface elements and a
common applications database are also the
foundation for our new No rton Ad m i n i s t ra t o r
for Networks (NAN), a highly popular program
that provides a scalable LAN- to-WA N s o l u t i o n
for larger networks. Additionally, the Company
announced plans to integrate N A N w i t h
Hew l e tt- Pa c k a rd’s H P Op enVi ew for Wi n d ow s ,
the leading network management platform,
a n d H P Op e n Vi ew for U N I X. To g e t h e r, these
solutions account for the industry’s largest base
of network administration environments.
In fiscal 1996, the Company pursued other,
similar types of strategic relationships and
acquisitions in the area of network control where
the offerings of those companies complemented
our own. In Fe b ru a ry 1996, for example, we
announced our intent to integrate Cheye n n e
Software’s backup product ARCServe into our
No rton Ad m i n i s t r ator Su i t e. And in Ma y 19 9 6 ,
we acquired Fast Track, Inc., to integrate its
Exposé server management product with our
product offerings.
All of these actions have helped to furt h e r
coalesce Sy m a n t e c’s network solutions into a
single, unified stru c t u re within the foundation
of the Norton Enterprise Framework. Scalable,
o p e n , and compatible, these products are the re s u l t
of years of investment in better understanding
our network customers– and then connecting
with them.
One way to look at many ways to connect.