Security business evolves with viruses
In 1988, the Jerusalem virus appeared and swept across much of Europe. At the time, Peter Norton did not believe that viruses would ever be a serious problem for individual computer users. So says Patrick Evans, MD of Symantec SA, who cites Norton’s famous quote: “Viruses are like alligators in the sewers of New York, they don’t exist.” Evans adds that several of the technical people working for him disagreed, and they created Norton AntiVirus, which became a multimillion-dollar business. “Today, the security industry is worth billions, and ever-evolving.” According to Evans, the 1970s was a time in information security that was largely untouched by digital calamity, but marked by exploration of emerging telecommunications technology.
