News Release

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, Jun 19, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --Symantec Corp. (NASDAQ: SYMC) today announced that as online file sharing becomes increasingly common as a business practice, small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are more at risk than ever before, according to the findings of its 2011 SMB File Sharing Survey. The survey revealed that SMB employees are increasingly adopting unmanaged, personal-use online file sharing solutions without permission from IT, part of the broader trend of the consumerization of IT in which the adoption of online services for use on personal mobile devices blurs the lines between work and play. These early-adopter behaviors -- like those driving the use of file sharing technology -- are making organizations vulnerable to security threats and potential data loss.

"A staggering 71 percent of small businesses that suffer from a cyber attack never recover -- it's fatal," said Rowan Trollope, group president, SMB and .cloud, Symantec. "As the fastest adopters of cloud technologies, such as file sharing, SMBs need to use safe practices, especially when using a solution that might not be built for businesses. As employees increasingly adopt consumer cloud services at work, the risk to SMBs only grows."

Click to Tweet: Symantec Survey Finds File Sharing Poses Risks to SMBs: http://bit.ly/M8HGMI

Survey Highlights

--  Employees influence adoption of file sharing solutions internally: SMB
    stakeholders recognize that file sharing helps drive productivity
    among employees. Seventy-four percent of respondents said they adopted
    online file sharing to bolster their own productivity. Also, 61
    percent of respondents reported employees to be somewhat-to-extremely
    influential when it comes to adopting file sharing solutions
    internally, on par with mobile device usage (63 percent),
    PC/laptop/tablet usage (64 percent) and social media usage (53
    percent).


--  Security and data loss are potential file sharing risks: Many
    respondents recognized the potential risks that poorly managed file
    sharing practices can bring into their organizations. Among
    respondents, risks cited as potential concerns included sharing
    confidential information using unapproved solutions (44 percent),
    malware (44 percent), loss of confidential or proprietary information
    (43 percent), breach of confidential information (41 percent),
    embarrassment or damage to brand/reputation (37 percent), and
    violating regulatory rules (34 percent). Moreover, the lack of policy
    enforcement also enhances risks for many respondents as more than
    one-fifth (22 percent) of respondents have not implemented policies
    restricting how employees can access and share files.


--  File sharing behaviors could expose SMBs to risk: Employee behaviors
    around file sharing indicate further potential for security risk. When
    asked what employees might do when they need to share a large file,
    respondents indicated they would either ask IT for help (51 percent),
    use a solution suggested by a customer, contractor or partner (42
    percent), utilize the IT system in place (33 percent), or search
    online and download a free solution (27 percent). Furthermore, 41
    percent indicated damaged brand reputation was a concern when it comes
    to file sharing.


--  Files are getting bigger: Many of the files shared internally and
    externally are significantly increasing in size. One in seven (14
    percent) respondents reported the average size of files currently
    shared by their organization to be more than 1 GB while three years
    ago, only 6 percent reported the average file size to be more than 1
    GB.


--  SMBs are more distributed: Respondents indicated the number of
    employees working remotely and/or from home has gradually increased
    over the past three years, and the number is projected to increase.
    Respondents predicted that one year from now 37 percent of SMB
    organizations will have employees working remotely (up 22 percent from
    three years ago and 32 percent today), and 32 percent will have
    employees who work from home (up 20 percent from three years ago, and
    28 percent today).

Recommendations

Symantec recommends that SMBs implement some simple best practices to help ensure employees share files securely:

--  Centralize file storage and management with a secure web-based system
    that is accessible regardless of device or location so that companies
    protect data outside the office walls.
--  Implement access controls and permissions to keep private files safe
    and separate from work content.
--  Maintain oversight into how and when business files are shared.
--  Implement a scalable system that can grow with the business.

Symantec's 2011 SMB File Sharing Survey Applied Research fielded this survey in November 2011. They spoke with decision-makers at 1,325 worldwide SMB organizations with 5 to 500 employees.

Resources

--  Symantec SlideShare
--  Symantec Confident SMB Blog

Connect with Symantec

--  Follow Symantec on Twitter
--  Join Symantec on Facebook
--  Subscribe to Symantec News RSS Feed
--  View Symantec's SlideShare Channel
--  Visit Symantec Connect Business Community

About Symantec Symantec is a global leader in providing security, storage and systems management solutions to help consumers and organizations secure and manage their information-driven world. Our software and services protect against more risks at more points, more completely and efficiently, enabling confidence wherever information is used or stored. More information is available at www.symantec.com or by connecting with Symantec at: go.symantec.com/socialmedia

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Symantec and the Symantec Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: Any forward-looking indication of plans for products is preliminary and all future release dates are tentative and are subject to change. Any future release of the product or planned modifications to product capability, functionality, or feature are subject to ongoing evaluation by Symantec, and may or may not be implemented and should not be considered firm commitments by Symantec and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions.

Technorati Tags Symantec, small business, SMBs, virtualization, private cloud, public cloud, mobility, security, backup

CONTACT:

Marissa Vicario
Symantec Corp.
+1 (917) 226-0909
Email Contact

Amanda Jones
Connect Public Relations
+1 (801) 373-7888
Email Contact

SOURCE: Symantec Corporation

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