Symantec

Corporate brand

Symantec was an American cybersecurity and enterprise-software company whose consumer and enterprise businesses were separated in 2019.

Last updated October 14, 2026

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Overview

Symantec was an American software and cybersecurity company founded in 1982 by Gary Hendrix. It began by developing software tools and applications, then expanded through acquisitions into a broad technology portfolio that included utilities, productivity software, contact management, backup, storage, availability, and information-security products. The company became particularly well known through its Norton brand, which developed from the acquisition of Peter Norton Computing and became one of the most recognizable names in consumer antivirus and digital safety. Symantec's early growth was driven by a combination of internally developed software, publishing relationships, international expansion, and acquisitions. The purchase of Peter Norton Computing in 1990 brought the Norton name and a substantial consumer-software franchise into the company. Other acquisitions added products such as the Act! contact-management application and technologies for enterprise security, messaging protection, backup, storage management, and systems availability. In 2004, Symantec announced a major merger with Veritas Software. Completed in 2005, the transaction significantly broadened Symantec's enterprise portfolio and made the combined company one of the world's largest software businesses. The Veritas-related operations later became associated with a separate company after Symantec divested them. During the 2000s and 2010s, Symantec positioned itself as a provider of protection for information, identities, devices, networks, and digital infrastructure. Its consumer business sold Norton antivirus, internet-security, identity-protection, and related subscription products. Its enterprise business supplied endpoint protection, email and web security, data-loss prevention, encryption, authentication, threat intelligence, and other security services. Marketing increasingly emphasized protection across multiple devices and the broader management of digital risk rather than antivirus alone. Campaigns included the consumer-focused Safetytown project, the Do It All and Boldly Go initiatives, partner-oriented campaign tools, and a global Norton advertising program developed with Grey San Francisco and MediaCom. In 2019, Symantec separated its business into two major parts. Broadcom acquired the enterprise-security business, while the remaining consumer-safety company retained the Norton and LifeLock-related operations and adopted the name NortonLifeLock. The enterprise transaction ended Symantec's existence as an independent, unified public company and transferred the Symantec enterprise-security brand and products into Broadcom's infrastructure-software organization. NortonLifeLock later merged with Avast and changed its corporate name to Gen Digital in 2022. Consequently, Symantec is best understood today as a legacy corporate brand and a source of technologies and products that continue under successor organizations, rather than as a standalone operating company.

History

Symantec was founded in 1982 by Gary Hendrix as a software company. Its initial activities centered on software tools and applications, and the company grew through a mixture of product development, software publishing, international expansion, and acquisitions. By the late 1980s, acquisitions and distribution growth had expanded its employee base and sales presence, and Symantec completed an initial public offering on NASDAQ in 1989. A decisive step came in 1990, when Symantec acquired Peter Norton Computing. The transaction brought the Norton name, Norton Utilities, and related consumer-software expertise into Symantec. Norton subsequently became the company's principal consumer identity and one of the most widely recognized brands in antivirus and personal-computer security. Symantec continued acquiring technology and software companies during the 1990s, adding capabilities in development tools, contact management, productivity software, and systems utilities. The acquisition of Contact Software International also brought the Act! contact-management product into the portfolio. In the early 2000s, Symantec increasingly concentrated on information security and enterprise protection. It acquired companies and technologies in areas such as email filtering, intrusion detection, managed security, authentication, and threat protection. In 2004, Symantec and Veritas Software announced a merger, which was completed in 2005. The combination joined Symantec's security portfolio with Veritas's backup, storage-management, and availability technologies. The resulting company became a major enterprise-software supplier, serving both large organizations and consumers. Over time, parts of the Veritas business were separated, while Symantec continued to invest in endpoint, network, messaging, identity, and information-security products. During the 2010s, Symantec tried to reposition its public identity beyond traditional antivirus. Consumer communications promoted Norton as protection for the many devices used in modern life, while enterprise campaigns presented Symantec as a broader security and information-management partner. The company used digital advertising, print campaigns, partner enablement programs, search marketing, and competitive advertising. In 2014, Grey San Francisco became the global agency of record for Norton, with MediaCom supporting media strategy and buying. The company's corporate structure changed fundamentally in 2019. Broadcom acquired Symantec's enterprise-security business, and the transaction closed on November 4 of that year. The remaining consumer-safety operation, built around Norton and identity-protection activities, changed its name to NortonLifeLock. Symantec therefore ceased to operate as a single independent corporation spanning consumer and enterprise security. The Broadcom-owned enterprise products became part of Broadcom's infrastructure-software business, while NortonLifeLock later merged with Avast and adopted the name Gen Digital in 2022. The Symantec name remains associated with legacy enterprise-security products and technology, but its former consumer business is now represented primarily through successor brands rather than a standalone Symantec corporation.

2022
Consumer successor becomes Gen Digital
[2]Gen Digitalen.wikipedia.org
Following the merger of NortonLifeLock and Avast, the successor company adopted the Gen Digital name.
2019
Enterprise-security business sold to Broadcom
[3]Broadcom completes acquisition of Symantec Enterprise Security businessprnewswire.com
Broadcom completed the acquisition of Symantec's enterprise-security business. The remaining consumer operation became NortonLifeLock.
2014
Global Norton advertising partnership
[4]Grey chosen as global advertising agency for Norton by Symantecprnewswire.com
Grey San Francisco became Norton’s global advertising agency of record, with MediaCom supporting worldwide media activity.
2005
Veritas combination completed
[7]Acquisition of Peter Norton Computingen.wikipedia.org
The completed transaction created a much broader enterprise-software portfolio and made Symantec one of the largest software companies of its period.
2004
Veritas merger announced
[2]Gen Digitalen.wikipedia.org
Symantec and Veritas announced a merger combining security software with backup, storage, and availability technologies.
1990
Acquisition of Peter Norton Computing
[7]Acquisition of Peter Norton Computingen.wikipedia.org
Symantec acquired Peter Norton Computing, establishing the Norton name as a central consumer-software brand within the company.
1989
Initial public offering
[2]Gen Digitalen.wikipedia.org
Symantec completed its initial public offering and began trading on NASDAQ under the SYMC symbol.
1982
Symantec is founded
[1]Symantec Corporation company historycompany-histories.com
Gary Hendrix founded Symantec as a software company in the United States.

Products and positioning

A trusted provider of consumer digital protection and enterprise cybersecurity, with a historical emphasis on safeguarding devices, identities, information, networks, and business-critical infrastructure.

Consumer cybersecurity
Norton AntiVirus
A consumer antivirus product line designed to detect, block, and remove malicious software. It helped establish Norton as a mass-market digital-protection brand and was distributed through retail, online subscription, and trial-download channels.
Consumer cybersecurity
Norton Internet Security
A broader consumer security suite that extended antivirus protection with features for web browsing, online transactions, phishing defense, and personal-device security.
Consumer security suite
Norton 360
A bundled Norton offering intended to provide multi-layer protection across consumer devices, combining malware defense with additional privacy, identity, backup, or performance features depending on the product generation.
Enterprise endpoint security
Symantec Endpoint Protection
An enterprise endpoint-protection platform designed to protect computers and other managed devices from malware, exploits, and related threats. It formed part of Symantec's business-security portfolio later transferred to Broadcom.
Enterprise cybersecurity
Symantec Enterprise Security
The enterprise-security portfolio covered network, endpoint, email, web, identity, information, and threat-protection technologies for large organizations. Broadcom acquired this business in 2019.
Contact-management software
Act!
A contact-management and customer-information application acquired through Symantec's purchase of Contact Software International. It represented the company's broader business-software interests before its later concentration on security.

Marketing campaigns

2014Grey and MediaCom global Norton program
Global
Symantec appointed Grey San Francisco to lead global Norton creative, brand strategy, and social strategy, with MediaCom handling media planning and buying.
Outcome. The appointment was part of Symantec's company-wide transformation and effort to communicate a more integrated Norton value proposition.
Source
2013Do It All
Global
The campaign broadened Symantec's message beyond antivirus by presenting its enterprise products as a wider set of solutions for protecting information and digital operations.
Outcome. It served as a platform for the company's broader repositioning before subsequent Norton-focused advertising.
Source
2013Boldly Go
Global
Symantec promoted Norton to consumers and small businesses with a message centered on using multiple devices confidently. The campaign used digital and print placements and framed Norton as an umbrella for modern device protection.
Outcome. The initiative extended Symantec's consumer rebranding and emphasized mobility and cross-device use.
Source
2012Marin online marketing program
Global digital markets
Symantec used Marin Software to coordinate and optimize a large paid-search, display, and retargeting program spanning multiple publishers and consumer products.
Outcome. Marin reported improved campaign-management efficiency and higher return on advertising spend, but these results were vendor-reported rather than independently audited in the supplied material.
Source
2009McAfee conference guerrilla marketing
United States
Symantec placed a large volume of advertisements around Las Vegas during McAfee's partner conference, deliberately targeting conference attendees and intensifying competitive messaging between the two security vendors.
Outcome. The stunt became a visible example of direct competitor-focused marketing in the enterprise-security channel.
Source
2006Safetytown
United States
Symantec launched Safetytown, an entertainment-oriented website built around a humorous and exaggerated story about online fraud and a phished credit card. The campaign promoted Norton Internet Security through a trial download and used viral-style content and branded merchandise to make online safety more approachable.
Outcome. The campaign generated attention as an unconventional promotion, although contemporary commentary also criticized Symantec's customer-service reputation.
Source

Brand decisions

2019
Divest enterprise-security business to BroadcomM&A
Background
Symantec and Broadcom agreed to separate Symantec's enterprise-security operations from its consumer-safety business.
Action taken
Broadcom completed the acquisition of the enterprise-security business on November 4, 2019. The consumer business was renamed NortonLifeLock.
Aftermath
Symantec ceased to operate as a unified independent company. Enterprise products moved into Broadcom, while the consumer successor later became Gen Digital after combining with Avast.
Transaction value. $10.7 billion (2019)
Source
2004
Merge with Veritas SoftwareM&A
Background
Symantec sought to combine its security capabilities with Veritas technologies in backup, storage management, and business availability.
Action taken
The companies announced and subsequently completed a merger that created a broader enterprise-software company.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded Symantec's enterprise portfolio and scale, although parts of the combined Veritas business were later separated.
Source

Recent events

2019
Symantec completes separation of enterprise-security business to Broadcom[3]Broadcom completes acquisition of Symantec Enterprise Security businessprnewswire.com
M&A
Broadcom completed its acquisition of Symantec's enterprise-security business. The remaining consumer business became NortonLifeLock.
2014
Grey San Francisco selected as global advertising agency for Norton[4]Grey chosen as global advertising agency for Norton by Symantecprnewswire.com
Campaign
Symantec appointed Grey San Francisco to lead global creative advertising and brand strategy for Norton, working with MediaCom on media planning and buying.
2012
Symantec uses Marin Software to optimize online advertising[6]Symantec maximizes online marketing results with Marin Softwaremarinsoftware.com
Campaign · Other
Symantec adopted Marin Software to manage paid-search, display, and retargeting activity across multiple publishers and products.
2009
Symantec targets McAfee partners with Las Vegas guerrilla advertising[5]Symantec blasts McAfee partners with guerrilla marketingcrn.com
Campaign
Symantec placed a prominent advertising blitz around McAfee's partner conference in Las Vegas as a competitive marketing stunt.
2004
Symantec announces merger with Veritas Software[2]Gen Digitalen.wikipedia.org
M&A
Symantec and Veritas announced a major software-industry merger intended to combine information-security products with storage and availability technologies.

Sources19 sources

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