Symantec 2006 Annual Report Download - page 19

2005. The Sygate acquisition allows Symantec to provide a com-
prehensive endpoint protection solution for both managed and
unmanaged devices. Combining Sygate's expertise in endpoint
compliance and protection with Symantec's leadership in client
security helps ensure that only devices compliant with security
policies have access to the network.
BindView BindView Development Corporation, a global provider of agent-
less IT security compliance software, was acquired in January
2006. This acquisition brought together two market leaders in
policy compliance and vulnerability market solutions. BindView
and Symantec have complementary strengths in product portfolio,
route-to-market, and customer segments. The acquisition of
BindView allows Symantec to provide customers a choice of agent-
based or agent-less IT compliance technology, offering a broad and
comprehensive end-to-end solution for policy compliance and vul-
nerability management from a single vendor.
IMlogic IMlogic, Inc., a market leader in instant messaging security and
management with demonstrated technology leadership and exper-
tise in real-time based communications, was acquired in February
2006. The rapid adoption of instant messaging networks by con-
sumers and corporate users, combined with evolving real-time
communications functionality such as VoIP, makes instant mes-
saging a viable vehicle for malicious threats that can leverage
global messaging directories to find new targets. Traditional secur-
ity and availability measures do not protect companies against
threats that attack via instant messaging. We plan to offer a
comprehensive set of solutions for message archiving as a whole Ì
across both email and instant messaging, with the opportunity to
include other forms of digital communications.
Relicore Relicore, Inc., a leader in data center change and configuration
management, was acquired in February 2006. Relicore's Clarity is
the industry's only configuration management solution capable of
automatically discovering, mapping, and tracking changes to appli-
cation and server components in real-time. The combination of
Relicore's unique, real-time configuration management capability
with Symantec's existing server management and storage manage-
ment capabilities allows IT managers to fully understand and
actively manage their application and server environment.
For further discussion of our acquisitions, see Note 3 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Competition
Our markets are highly competitive and are subject to rapid changes in technology. Our competitiveness
depends on our ability to deliver products that meet our customers' needs by enhancing our existing solutions
and services and offering reliable, scalable, and standardized new solutions on a timely basis. We believe that
the principal competitive factors necessary to be successful in our industry also include quality, integration of
advanced technology, time to market, price, reputation, financial stability, breadth of product offerings,
customer support, brand recognition, and effective sales and marketing efforts.
In addition to the competition we face from direct competitors, we face indirect or potential competition
from operating system providers and network equipment and computer hardware manufacturers, who may
provide various solutions and functions in their current and future products. We also compete for access to
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