Symantec 2002 Annual Report Download - page 11

Download and view the complete annual report

Please find page 11 of the 2002 Symantec annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.

Page out of 109

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33
  • 34
  • 35
  • 36
  • 37
  • 38
  • 39
  • 40
  • 41
  • 42
  • 43
  • 44
  • 45
  • 46
  • 47
  • 48
  • 49
  • 50
  • 51
  • 52
  • 53
  • 54
  • 55
  • 56
  • 57
  • 58
  • 59
  • 60
  • 61
  • 62
  • 63
  • 64
  • 65
  • 66
  • 67
  • 68
  • 69
  • 70
  • 71
  • 72
  • 73
  • 74
  • 75
  • 76
  • 77
  • 78
  • 79
  • 80
  • 81
  • 82
  • 83
  • 84
  • 85
  • 86
  • 87
  • 88
  • 89
  • 90
  • 91
  • 92
  • 93
  • 94
  • 95
  • 96
  • 97
  • 98
  • 99
  • 100
  • 101
  • 102
  • 103
  • 104
  • 105
  • 106
  • 107
  • 108
  • 109

13SYMANTEC ANNUAL REPORT 2002NEW RULES
a luxury to a necessity
From banking and buying groceries to power generation and air traffic control, a
growing web of global connectivity drives the business of daily life. We count on PCs,
handheld devices and mobile phones to stay in touch. Home PCs connect us to the
office network. Laptops leverage wireless networks in hotels, airports—wherever we go.
There’s no end in sight to the accelerating importance and impact of connectivity.
By 2006, the number of Internet users is projected to reach nearly 1 billion world-
wide. At the same time, this global marketplace will drive e-commerce to more than
$6 trillion—more than 80% of it business-to-business, according to industry analyst
firm IDC.
In addition, the types of devices people will use to connect to the Internet are
increasing and changing drastically. IDC also estimates that in the same period more
than 60% of users connecting to the Internet will do so by mobile phone.
As consumers, businesses and governments have come to rely on growing connec-
tivity, they’ve discovered it’s only as secure as the weakest link that makes it possible.
The world’s increasing reliance on electronic connections puts awesome power into the
hands of potential attackers. Without proper security, any of these systems can be
taken over and manipulated.
With more sophisticated attackers launching ever more complex attacks, Internet
security has become a whole new game.
blended threats are bigger threats A single virus, intrusion or denial-of-service attack
can cause significant disruption and damage on its own. Put them together, as sabo-
teurs did in 2001, and the connected world faces a much more destructive threat.
Last year, in the world’s first major outbreaks of blended threats, Code Red and
Nimda, followed in 2002 by Klez, combined a number of attack methods to prey on a
wide array of weaknesses. Spreading faster than any previous threat, they did billions
of dollars in damage, with immeasurable cost to corporate brands and reputations.
This recent emergence of blended threats has heightened the business world’s aware-
ness of the need for a better, more sophisticated approach to security.
It’s a new game. The world is more connected than ever. Securing the Internet is
more vital than ever to protecting the way we work, play and do business. As the
global leader in Internet security, Symantec is helping customers stay ahead of the
game—even as it changes.