Symantec's Clearwell Systems Buy Adds to eDiscovery Arsenal

Symantec is expanding its protection empire with its acquisition of eDiscovery vendor Clearwell Systems. Read on to find out what Symantec is really getting from the $390 million deal and how it plays into the channel …

Privately owned Clearwell Systems is known not only for its eDiscovery prowess but also for its data backup and archiving capabilities – technology Symantec already has in its portfolio. But the acquisition comes at a time when data needs are booming, information is growing exponentially, and the protection and management of that information is key not just for productivity needs, but also for legal needs. Balancing archiving and efficient use of storage while ensuring only the right data is stored long-term is important for many large businesses and enterprises. More simply put: The solution to data problems isn’t just adding more data.

So with the data-expansion stage set, Symantec wants to put on a class act. According to the company, Clearwell’s acquisition will “expand Symantec’s addressable market opportunity,” though what happens to Clearwell’s technology is unclear. Clearwell’s software “compliments and enhances” what Symantec is offering now, though it’s likely Symantec could just cut and gut the Clearwell technology and assimilate the code into its own products.

Either way, Symantec said information governance is an ongoing issue, and noted a Gartner report that says eDiscovery spending will increase by one-third in 2012 for companies that don’t take care of their eDiscovey archiving solutions now.

We’ve covered the booming data news coming out of the channel, and it’s likely eDiscovery will play a larger part moving forward. Partners working with data vendors might want to see what their vendor can offer (or will be offering) in the way of archiving and backup. Worth noting: It looks as though security/protection and data backup will be blending more in the future, especially when it comes to the cloud. We’ll keep tabs on that trend as it evolves.

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