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By Joris Evers, 17 April 2007 08:53

NEWS

Symantec is taking a first step toward turning itself into a provider of hosted services for SMEs.

The security and storage management software maker plans to launch a trial version of a new online back-up service called Symantec Protection Network - Online Backup Service. The new service is the first of several planned under the Symantec Protection Network brand, the company said.

Arthur Wong, a Symantec senior vice president, said in a statement: "Many small and medium-sized businesses have not had the ability to get the reliable and secure service they [need] due to cost and lack of resources." Symantec aims to deliver easy-to-manage services at an affordable cost, the company said.

Symantec won't say what other services it plans to launch but points to its existing software-based products. Chris Schin, director of product management at Symantec, said in an interview: "If you think about what we're known for, such as antivirus, anti-spam and remote access, you can figure out what we're launching."

Symantec has built two data centres to support its online services. The back-up service requires installation of an agent on the machine that is to be backed up. The user then logs in and selects what data should be saved. During the beta, Symantec will offer 25GB of free storage space. At final launch the amount of space will depend on the plan purchased. Pricing has yet to be announced.

The online back-up service is available to a limited number of testers but is scheduled to be released in final form by mid summer, Symantec said. A second trial service is scheduled to be launched over the summer. Schin said: "We plan to roll out three or four betas a year."

Symantec also offers online back-up for consumers through its Norton 360 software. Many companies offer online back-up for consumers as well as businesses. These include Asigra, EVault (owned by hard-disk maker Seagate) and Iron Mountain.

Joris Evers writes for CNET News.com