Now that the deal is closed, Symantec needs to execute quickly Symantec’s acquisition of the Verisign security assets closed earlier this week. This frees Symantec to tell the world what it bought and what role the Verisign services play. Good thing. Symantec caught a lot of flack for buying a legacy SSL certificates business. In truth, this deal could be much more — a SaaS authentication and PKI offering to broker trust relationships in B2C and B2B transactions.I believe this could be a very good acquisition but Symantec can’t assume that anyone other than PKI nerds understand this. To satisfy Wall Street and maximize the ROI on this deal, Symantec must:1. Pound home the vision. Symantec hinted at some potential use cases for Verisign when it announced the deal. From now on, it needs to do this more consistently, strongly, and frequently. PKI is a mystery to most people so Symantec should think in terms of over communicating.2. Hint at a roadmap. Where does Verisign fit in the Symantec portfolio? Symantec needs to come out with a statement that details this soon. For example, will Symantec put a X.509 digital certificate in each copy of Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) to seed the market? If this is part of the plan, Symantec needs to tell the world when this will happen and why.3. Take the message to the channel. Corporate presentations and analytst briefings aren’t enough. Symantec needs to get its direct and indirect sales onboard ASAP. This means sales training, corporate support, incentives, etc.Symantec needs to prove to the market (and especially Wall Street) that it can back vision and money with execution. The Verisign deal was fairly significant, around $1.2 billion. Symantec needs to execute ASAP to demonstrate that this deal was well thought out and that the money was well spent. Related content analysis 5 things security pros want from XDR platforms New research shows that while extended detection and response (XDR) remains a nebulous topic, security pros know what they want from an XDR platform. By Jon Oltsik Jul 07, 2022 3 mins Intrusion Detection Software Incident Response opinion Bye-bye best-of-breed? ESG research finds that organizations are increasingly integrating security technologies and purchasing multi-product security platforms, changing the industry in the process. By Jon Oltsik Jun 14, 2022 4 mins Security Software opinion SOC modernization: 8 key considerations Organizations need SOC transformation for security efficacy and operational efficiency. Technology vendors should come to this year’s RSA Conference with clear messages and plans, not industry hyperbole. By Jon Oltsik Apr 27, 2022 6 mins RSA Conference Security Operations Center opinion 5 ways to improve security hygiene and posture management Security professionals suggest continuous controls validation, process automation, and integrating security and IT technologies. By Jon Oltsik Apr 05, 2022 4 mins Security Practices Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe