On January 28, 2015, my colleague posted a Research Note about Symantec’s plans for VERITAS, putting it back to separate business (before the acquisition), publically traded and renamed back to VERITAS. As Mr. Woo so aptly stated it was like Phoenix rises from the ashes. He also commented “so in essence, nothing has really changed.”
That is the rub for me, and potentially for VERITAS. Yes the brand was great, which is one of the reasons it was of interest to Symantec. The idea that all is well to go back and every one will be happy because nothing has changed is the core of my issue here. A lot has changed in the IT market since the acquisition in 2005!!! There are new competitors on the market, some older ones have gotten stronger, partners have shifted loyalty, and cloud has taken off.
I believe you can never go back with a “nothing has changed” approach. A lot has changed, is the VERITAS brand as strong as it was (lost market share)? What work has been done to test this? Why is it back with no changes? Where is marketing/messaging on this? How about a slight change in the name to VERITAS2 or VERITAS 2.0 – anything to signal a shift. This is trip down a memory lane that may have been repaved!