Has Symantec Lost Its Way?

This week, security and storage solution providers will gather in Washington, D.C., for Symantec's Partner Engage conference. Absent from the proceedings will be Julie Parrish, the iconic channel chief that has been the face of the Symantec channel for nearly six years.

Parrish oversaw a litany of problems in her tenure as vice president of the Symantec Global Channel Office. For more than two years, solution providers have complained about increasingly ineffective security software packages that consume more computing resources than stop threats. A botched ERP upgrade in 2007 derailed the ordering system and sent the channel to chaos. And over the summer, the vendor wrestled with a partner revolt following reports that it was taking parts of its business direct.

As one solution provider wrote to Channel Insider in the wake of Parrish’s resignation, “Symantec software has become so bloated and so penetrating in the systems I repair for others that it's the first thing I get rid of, and never recommend to others. Norton Utilities was a good product years ago, but the company's gone corporate-mad. I hope [Julie Parrish] learned something and doesn't take the same attitudes to her next shift. I hope Symantec can find the rails, and maybe get back on them.”

Channel Insider wants to know: Has Symantec lost its way? What should solution providers tell Symantec’s channel management at Partner Engage? Join the discussion by posting a comment below.