Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Network Associates (NET) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Chuzzlewit who wrote (4573)	3/30/1999 12:31:00 PM
From: MoonFather	Respond to of 6021

Selling a helpdesk is more than anything else selling a solution to a customer. If you're talking about antivirus, firewalls, Sniffers, you can make the sale by selling a tool. Not so with a helpdesk where you implement a structure that handles everything from call logging, call tracking, SLAs, escalation and work order creation. So there you actually have to sit down with a customer and figure out which configuration will work best for that specific organization. The customer will have his own tools that he wants to keep to protect his earlier investments, and what's more: in many cases he will already have an end-user support system in place with pre-defined rules and escalation paths. The trick is to customize the helpdesk software in such a way that the organization is minimally affected by the deployment of the software. This requires a very focused approach. opportunity: lots of consultancy there. Which is a significant growth market. Threat: longer sales cycle for this kind of products. If the sales reps make their number by going for the 'tool' sale, the sales of the helpdesk systems will never take off. Does anyone know what sales system NETA uses today?

To: Chuzzlewit who wrote (4573)	3/30/1999 9:37:00 PM
From: AlienTech	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 6021

Companies Reap 'Melissa' Benefits my left foot! Associated Press Online - March 30, 1999 18:20 By MARTHA MENDOZA AP Business Writer SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - Antivirus software companies will reap big benefits from the insidious Melissa computer bug that is roaming across the virtual world, mutating as it goes, analysts said Tuesday. "A major outbreak of any virus, especially when it receives extensive coverage like Melissa, is going to be good for the antivirus business," said International Data Corp. researcher Chris Christiansen. The new computer virus spread quickly across the Internet over the weekend, paralyzing corporate e-mail systems by getting into users' e-mail address books and sending infected messages to everyone in them. By Tuesday, several variations were popping up in personal computers. "Certainly this gets most businesses out of the complacency they may have fallen into with regards to any virus and raises public awareness of the need for antivirus software," said Kevin Hause, another IDC analyst. Antivirus software - known in the industry as a "vaccine" - detects the presence of a computer virus in a system by checking for unusual attempts to access disk areas and system files. It also searches for specific viruses. Most computers used in businesses and homes are equipped with the software. Since Melissa is a new virus, it slipped past installed antivirus software. Developers had to rush to update their products and get them out to the public once the virus became known. Antivirus software sales reached $1.3 billion last year, according to IDC, up from $915 million in 1997 and $430 million in 1996. An antivirus system for a personal computer typically costs around $50. Corporate systems can cost about $15 per machine, amounting to thousands of dollars for companies with lots of computers. Updates generally cost about $3 per seat, although most Melissa patches are being offered for free. Gartner Group research analyst Arabella Hallawell said a virus like Melissa pushes technical advances at the antivirus companies as well as spurring sales. "The onus is on the vendors now to figure out ways to react quickly to viruses like Melissa - alert customers and update and distribute the fix," she said. The top antivirus vendors - Network Associates Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif., and Symantec of Cupertino, Calif. - reacted swiftly to the Melissa virus, setting up emergency response teams, tracking the origins in their laboratories and monitoring the mutations. Companies were also pitching dozens of antivirus software systems with reassuring names like Guard Dog, VirusScan, ViruSafe, Sweep, eSafe Protect, and PC-cillin, using the Internet to tie the products into news about Melissa. "When there's a high-profile virus outbreak, it's really another chance for us to inform people that they need to be careful and that antivirus software is insurance," said Steve Trilling, Symantec's antivirus research director. "You need to pay to protect your data." Headlines Previous Story Next Story -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- %DOMESTIC IT NETA %SVC %SOF V%APONLINE P%APO Click Here For More Information FRONT PAGE NEWS INDEX HEADLINES COLUMNS MARKET DATA GLOBAL MARKETS MARKET MONITOR CHARTING PORTFOLIOS MUTUAL FUNDS WEALTH CLUB STOCKCHAT TRADING CENTER FEEDBACK ADVERTISING INVESTOR'S PRIMER CBS MARKETWATCH RT CBS MARKETWATCH LIVE © 1998 MarketWatch.com, L.L.C. All rights reserved. Disclaimer. MarketWatch.com is a joint venture of CBS and Data Broadcasting Corporation. Company Information. CBS and the CBS "eye device" are registered trademarks of CBS Inc. marketwatch.newsalert.com

To: Chuzzlewit who wrote (4573)	3/31/1999 12:00:00 PM
From: AlienTech	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 6021

Network Associates Delays 10-K Over Ongoing SEC Inquiry WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--Network Associates Inc. (NETA) will delay filing its 10K until it resolves a previously announced matter with the Securities and Exchange Commission over its $220 million write-down of research and development costs related to its 1998 acquisitions of CyberMedia Inc. and Magic Solutions, Federal Filings Business News reported. The company is still in the process of responding to the SEC's common letter about the charge, which was disclosed on Jan 6. At that time, the company estimated its 1998 earnings were $1.54 a share, 58% higher than pre-charge 1997 earnings. Revenues for the year were estimated to be $972 million, up from $612 million in 1997. (END) DOW JONES NEWS 03-31-99