Symantec Software Supports Vista

In the next few weeks, Symantec will roll out products aimed at early adopters of the Windows Vista OS and 64-bit computing, while also expanding the capabilities of its backup software.

Symantec on Wednesday unveiled Backup Exec 11d, which has been under testing since early this year. Available on November 6, the newest upgrade adds recovery support for Microsoft Exchange with what Symantec calls "granular recovery technology."

The feature can restore an individual e-mail rather than a whole mailbox. It can also be used for data contained in SharePoint Portal Server or Active Directory, Microsoft's software for managing identities, such as in the case of restoring a deleted user.

Backup Exec 11d, which also works with SQL Server, continuously backs up data as it's created. Users have an option of 128-bit or 256-bit encryption for stored data. The software also works with 64-bit Windows environments, Symantec said.

Antivirus for Vista

The company also announced an incremental beta release just ahead of the December release of its Antivirus Corporate and Antivirus Enterprise editions. Antivirus 10.2 is available for download for current Symantec customers who are now testing Vista. Both editions work for 32-bit or 64-bit editions of Vista.

The Enterprise Edition adds an antispyware client plus a console that integrates the antivirus, firewall and intrusion protection functions, Symantec said. Both Antivirus versions should be released within 30 days of the final release of Windows Vista, scheduled for availability to business customers this month.

Early next month, Symantec will release Ghost Solution Suite 2.0, a tool for managing and provisioning Windows machines on a network. The 2.0 version supports Vista and 64-bit Windows machines.

Also new is an ability to edit NTFS file system images, Symantec said. Ghost Solution supports the GUID partition table to image larger partitions, which Symantec said eases migration to Vista. The GUID partition table is used in some hardware systems, such as Intel's Itanium processors.

In other developments, the company said it has started the Global Symantec System Builder Program to better train system builders. The company also said it's honing in on the small and medium-size business market, increasing its investment in tools and training for its partners and their infrastructure.