Mobile Essentials Personal Edition Available Free to Public

Based on Powerful Corporate Version, Software Enables Mobile Professionals to Heighten Productivity by Instantly Adjusting Laptop/Notebook Settings to New Locations

Toronto, Ont. - October 26, 1999 - Symantec Canada today announced that Mobile Essentials Personal Edition is available free to the public for a limited time. Based on Mobile Essential 2.0, Mobile Essentials Personal Edition simplifies the often cumbersome and error-prone task of reconfiguring laptop and notebook settings with every location change. Mobile Essentials Personal Edition increases user productivity while reducing help desk support demands. For a limited time, the software can be downloaded free from the Symantec web site.

"Mobile Essentials Personal Edition removes much of the uncertainty and complexity associated with laptop computing. With this offer, Symantec is providing corporate users as well as small-business professionals an exclusive opportunity to enjoy the benefits of using this powerful tool to maximise productivity while away from the office," said Robin Matlock, vice president of product management, Symantec Corporation.

Mobile Essentials Personal Edition enables mobile professionals to quickly adjust to different work environments that require various dialling, TCP/IP, default printer, e-mail, and browser settings. As a result, instead of using traditional manual methods of configuration that can take nearly 20 minutes per location, users can configure up to four unique locations in advance and then simply click on the preconfigured location upon arrival at their destination. All settings change automatically and instantly, resulting in a dramatic decrease in downtime and a significant increase in productivity.

With Mobile Essentials Personal Edition, users can also modify locations when necessary. Consequently they spend less time adjusting their laptop settings and make fewer calls to the help desk. This, in turn, leads to increased productivity and uptime. Mobile Essentials Personal Edition meets the personal needs of individual users while Mobile Essentials 2.0 is a corporate tool. Individuals use Mobile Essentials Personal Edition to configure and manage their own location settings, IT departments use the corporate edition-Mobile Essentials 2.0-to create laptop configuration settings once and then quickly deploy those settings to mobile professionals throughout their organisation.

In addition to enabling IT staff to configure and distribute dialling, TCP/IP, printer, e-mail, and browser settings, the corporate product also enables IT professionals to create and deploy multiple network and dialup networking settings using the Location Administrator. Mobile Essentials 2.0 supports a virtually unlimited number of locations and enables administrators to distribute updated profiles from a central location via e-mail; the update then installs automatically, without requiring user intervention.

About Symantec in Canada:
With 250 employees, Symantec's Canadian operations are headquartered in Toronto with offices in Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver. For information on Symantec products or current promotions, contact the Canadian office at (416) 441-3676 or access Symantec's Canadian Web Site. Symantec is an active member of the Canadian Alliance Against Software Theft (CAAST).

About Symantec
Symantec is the world leader in utility software for business and personal computing. Symantec products and solutions help make users productive and keep their computers safe and reliable anywhere and anytime. Symantec offers a broad range of solutions and is acclaimed as a leader in both customer satisfaction and product brand recognition. Symantec is traded on Nasdaq under the symbol SYMC. More information on the company and its products can be obtained at www.symantec.com.

Founded in 1982, the company's global operations span North America, Europe, Japan and several fast growing markets throughout Asia Pacific and Latin America. Traded on Nasdaq under the symbol SYMC, Symantec Corporation is based in Cupertino, Calif., and employs more than 2,000 people. Information on the company and its products can be obtained by calling (800) 441-7234 toll free, (541) 334-6054 or accessed on the World Wide Web.

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Brands and products referenced herein are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.