'We are looking at creating a SaaS model in India'

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Headquartered in Cupertino, California, Symantec is an anti-virus company that focuses on helping customers protect their infrastructures, information, and interactions. The company, which is also the fourth largest software company in the world, is trying hard to change the perception that people have about it and is focusing on the Indian market. Enrique Salem, group president, Worldwide Sales and Marketing, Symantec, talks on the companys plans and strategies for the Indian market in a tte--tte with Dataquest. Excerpts

Dataquest: How big is the challenge to bring about a change in the general perception of Symantec being an anti-virus company, even though you are the fourth largest software company in the world?

Enrique Salem: Our target market is where security, storage, and infrastructure management is converging. Through technology acquisitions and product development, we have expanded our portfolio to go beyond anti-virus solutions. What we do is take out complexity and cost out of the IT infrastructure and usher in capabilities to meet compliance. Even our corporate tag line, Confidence in a connected world, depicts our ethos and product line.

Changing perception of consumers is a task that we have achieved through innovative marketing and communication tools. Today, our enterprise consumers do recognize us as a company that provides holistic infrastructure solutions.

DQ: Have you chalked out any specific game plan for the Indian market?

ES: Globally and even in India, we are growing at an exponential rate and are now at a stage where we want to grow beyond a product operations company. And as we grow in India, we not only want to offer solutions to our enterprise clients but also act as an advisor to them. We are, therefore, looking at creating a SaaS model in India with Symantec offering end-to-end security solutions. This includes focusing on consultancy for information security to Indian enterprises users.

As part of this setup, Symantecs consultants would work directly with clients to analyze the customers current risk posture and desired future state. They would also identify and categorize the clients risk level, then offer product solutions according to the assessed risk, thus providing an end-to-end security solution to companies. We have done a few engagements before in the US and now looking to bring this model to India. I want to start with consultancy as front end, since consulting would result in a bigger impact on total product sales. At present, services account for 6% of our total revenues and our aim is to increase the contribution to 10% by 2010.

DQ: Has Symantec undertaken any specific initiatives for India? Which verticals are driving Symantec Indias business?

ES: We are augmenting our presence by increasing R&D footprint in India. We want to leverage the large talent base in India and would ideally want to see more invention disclosures coming from Symantecs India development centers.

On the business front, data loss prevention, endpoint security and management, disaster recovery, security management, IT governance, and risk mitigation are strong focus areas for us. We see great potential for Symantec offerings and services in the public sector, BFSI, IT/ITeS, power and energy, healthcare, and telecom domains.

DQ: With more and more people conducting transactions online, do you see a growing market for Symantec in terms of safeguarding the online transaction system?

ES: Yes, there is a growing market for Symantec in terms of safeguarding the online transaction system. The growth in online commerce, in broadband usage, and in the number of ways people access the Web has been extraordinary. Firewalls and antivirus software may have kept yesterdays bugs out, but they wont stop an internal data breach, and they wont protect the databases that have become prime targets. And with each major security breach comes new compliance and regulatory demands that are driving expensive technology and operational changes. If we want this digital economy to thrive, it is incumbent upon us to protect all aspects of itfrom our enterprise infrastructures to the information created, transmitted, and stored within it.

Therefore, we will continue to develop technologies that will protect customers from challenges.

DQ: Considering that you are a heavily channel dependent company, do you have any specific plans for your Indian channel partners?

ES: There is a tremendous opportunity in the Indian market which can only be tapped by working in tandem with channel partners. We believe in spending more time with partners to show them the long-term business opportunity they have with us, so we have announced pre-planned training and channel programs for the next year. And being a partner centric company, we do customize programs country wise, partially to ensure profitability to partners. Though we have a majority of partners in the metros, there is a definite plan to forge alliances in tier 2 and 3 cities.