Editing Gen Digital (section)

===1982 to 1989===
Founded in 1982 by [[Gary Hendrix]] with a [[National Science Foundation]] grant, Symantec was originally focused on [[artificial intelligence]]-related projects, including a database program.<ref name="Slaughter 2014 p. 69">{{cite book|last=Slaughter|first=Sandra A.|author-link= Sandra Slaughter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IXw6BAAAQBAJ&pg=PT69|title=A Profile of the Software Industry: Emergence, Ascendance, Risks, and Rewards|publisher=Business Expert Press|year=2014|isbn=978-1-60649-655-8|series=2014 digital library|location=New York|pages=69|oclc=886114400|access-date=March 24, 2017}}</ref> Hendrix hired several [[Stanford University]] [[natural language processing]] researchers as the company's first employees.<ref name="Slaughter 2014 p. 69"/>

In 1984, it became clear that the advanced natural language and database system that Symantec had developed could not be ported from DEC minicomputers to the PC.<ref>{{cite book|last=Springer|first=Paul J.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S6egBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA193|title=Cyber Warfare: A Reference Handbook: A Reference Handbook|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2015|isbn=978-1-61069-444-5|series=Contemporary World Issues|pages=193|oclc=1002294935|access-date=March 24, 2017}}</ref> This left Symantec without a product, but with expertise in natural language database query systems and technology.<ref name="Jones 2014 p. 198"/> As a result, later in 1984, Symantec was acquired by another, smaller software startup company, C&E Software, founded by Denis Coleman and [[Gordon Eubanks]] and headed by Eubanks.<ref name="Jones 2014 p. 198">{{cite book|last=Jones|first=Capers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BFkXAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA198|title=The Technical and Social History of Software Engineering|publisher=Addison-Wesley|year=2014|isbn=978-0-321-90342-6|pages=198|oclc=868058641|access-date=March 24, 2017}}</ref> C&E Software developed a combined file management and word processing program called [[Q&A (software)|Q&A]].<ref name="Jones 2014 p. 198"/>

The merged company retained the name Symantec.<ref name="Jones 2014 p. 198"/> Eubanks became its chairman, Vern Raburn, the former president of the original Symantec, remained as president of the combined company.<ref>{{cite news|date=September 14, 1984|newspaper=InfoWorld|title=From the News Desk|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ci8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA9|page=9}}</ref> The new Symantec combined the file management and word processing functionality that C&E had planned, and added an advanced Natural Language query system (designed by Gary Hendrix and engineered by Dan Gordon) that set new standards for ease of database query and report generation. The natural language system was named "The Intelligent Assistant". Turner chose the name of Q&A for Symantec's flagship product, in large part because the name lent itself to use in a short, easily merchandised logo. Brett Walter designed the user interface of Q&A (Brett Walter, director of product management). Q&A was released in November 1985.

In 1986, Vern Raburn and Gordon Eubanks swapped roles, and Eubanks became CEO and president of Symantec, while Raburn became its chairman.<ref>{{cite book | title=AI Trends | publisher=DM Data, Incorporated | issue=v. 2–3 | year=1985 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1k8kAQAAMAAJ | access-date=March 24, 2017}}</ref> After this change, Raburn had little involvement with Symantec, and in a few years, Eubanks added chairmanship to his other roles.{{Citation needed|date=April 2017}} After a slow start for sales of Q&A in the fall of 1985 and spring of 1986, Rod Turner, a Symantec Sr. Executive, signed up a new advertising agency called Elliott/Dickens, embarked on an aggressive new advertising campaign, and came up with the "Six Pack Program" in which all Symantec employees, regardless of role, went on the road, training and selling nationwide in the United States. Turner named it Six Pack because employees were to work six days a week, see six dealerships per day, train six sales representatives per store and stay with friends free or at [[Motel 6]].<ref>{{cite book | last=Jones | first=C. | title=The Technical and Social History of Software Engineering | publisher=Addison-Wesley | year=2014 | isbn=978-0-321-90342-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BFkXAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA199 | access-date=March 24, 2017 | page=199}}</ref> Simultaneously, a promotion was run jointly with SofSell (which was Symantec's exclusive wholesale distributor in the United States for the first year that Q&A was on the market). This promotion was very successful in encouraging dealers to try Q&A.

During this time, Symantec was advised by its board members Jim Lally and [[John Doerr]] that if it would cut its expenses and grow revenues enough to achieve cash flow break-even, then [[Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers]] would back the company in raising more [[venture capital]]. To accomplish this, the management team worked out a salary reduction schedule where the chairman and the CEO would take zero pay, all vice presidents would take a 50% pay cut, and all other employees' pay was cut by 15%. Two employees were laid off. Eubanks also negotiated a sizable rent reduction on the office space the company had leased in the days of the original Symantec. These expense reductions, combined with strong international sales of Q&A, enabled the company to attain break-even.

The significantly increased traction for Q&A from this re-launch grew Symantec's revenues substantially, along with early success for Q&A in international markets (uniquely a German version was shipped three weeks after the United States version, and it was the first software in the world that supported German Natural Language) following Turner's having emphasized establishing international sales distribution and multiple language versions of Q&A from the initial shipment.

In 1985, Rod Turner negotiated the publishing agreement with David Whitney for Symantec's second product, which Turner named NoteIt (an annotation utility for [[Lotus 1-2-3]]). It was evident to Turner that NoteIt would confuse the dealer channel if it was launched under the Symantec name because Symantec had built up interest by that stage in Q&A (but not yet shipped it), and because the low price for the utility would not be initially attracted to the dealer channel until demand had been built up. Turner felt that the product should be marketed under a unique brand name.

Turner and [[Gordon Eubanks|Gordon E. Eubanks Jr.]], then chairman of Symantec Corporation, agreed to form a new division of Symantec, and Eubanks delegated the choice of name to Turner. Turner chose the name Turner Hall Publishing, to be a new division of Symantec devoted to publishing third-party software and hardware. The objective of the division was to diversify revenues and accelerate the growth of Symantec. Turner chose the name Turner Hall Publishing, using his last name and that of Dottie Hall (Director of Marketing Communications) to convey the sense of a stable, long-established, company.<ref name=computerworld>{{cite web|url=https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:GaxdaUdMgCIJ:www.cwhonors.org/archives/histories/Eubanks.pdf+%22Turner+Hall+Publishing%22&hl=en&gl=ca&sig=AHIEtbQhf3lmxre17qqPIDDtN8oTAMA5Hw |title=Gordon Eubanks Oral History, Computerworld Honors Program, Daniel S. Morrow, November 8, 2000 |access-date=November 9, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/board-management/7109119-1.html |title=RasterOps-Truevison adds two industry leaders to board of directors; company names Walter W., Tuesday, March 21, 1995 |publisher=Business Wire |access-date=November 9, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090328115712/http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/board-management/7109119-1.html |archive-date=March 28, 2009 }}</ref> Turner Hall Publishing's first offering was Note-It, a notation utility add-in for Lotus 1-2-3, which was developed by David Whitney, and licensed to Symantec.<ref>{{cite web|author=U.S. |url=http://www.answers.com/topic/symantec |title=Symantec |publisher=Answers.com |access-date=November 9, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Symantec-Corporation-Company-History.html |title=Company Histories: Symantec Corporation, Funding Universe |publisher=Fundinguniverse.com |access-date=November 9, 2010}}</ref> Its second product was the Turner Hall Card, which was a 256k RAM, half slot memory card, initially made to inexpensively increase the available memory for Symantec's flagship product, Q&A. The Turner Hall division also marketed the card as a standalone product. Turner Hall's third product, also a 1-2-3 add-in was [[Synex Systems Corporation#SQZ!|SQZ!]] a Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet compression utility developed by Chris Graham [[Synex Systems Corporation|Synex Systems]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hendrenet.com/synex.htm |title=Hendren and Associates |publisher=Hendrenet.com |access-date=November 9, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711162458/http://hendrenet.com/synex.htm |archive-date=July 11, 2011 }}</ref> In the summer of 1986 Eubanks and Turner recruited Tom Byers from [[Digital Research]], to expand the Turner Hall Publishing product family and lead the Turner Hall effort.

By the winter of 1986–87, the Turner Hall Publishing division had achieved success with NoteIt, the Turner Hall Card and SQZ!. The popularity of these products, while contributing a relatively small portion of revenues to Symantec, conveyed the impression that Symantec was already a diversified company, and indeed, many industry participants were under the impression that Symantec had acquired Turner Hall Publishing. In 1987, Byers recruited Ted Schlein into the Turner Hall Product Group to assist in building the product family and in marketing.

{{Anchor|TimeLine}}Revenues from Q&A, and Symantec's early launch into the international marketplace, combined with Turner Hall Publishing, generated the market presence and scale that enabled Symantec to make its first merger/acquisition, in February 1987, that of [[Breakthrough Software]], maker of the TimeLine project management software for DOS. Because this was the first time that Symantec had acquired a business that had revenues, inventory, and customers, Eubanks chose to change nothing at BreakThrough Software for six months, and the actual merger logistics started in the summer of 1987, with Turner being appointed by Eubanks as general manager of the TimeLine business unit, Turner was made responsible for the successful integration of the company into Symantec and ongoing growth of the business, with P&L. There was a heavy emphasis placed on making the minimum disruption by Eubanks and Turner.

Soon after the acquisition of TimeLine/Breakthrough Software, Eubanks reorganized Symantec, structuring the company around product-centric groups, each having its development, quality assurance, technical support, and product marketing functions, and a general manager with profit and loss responsibility. Sales, finance, and operations were centralized functions that were shared. This structure lent itself well to Symantec's further growth through mergers and acquisitions. Eubanks made Turner general manager of the new {{vanchor|TimeLine Product Group}}, and simultaneously of the Q&A Product Group, and made Tom Byers general manager of the Turner Hall Product Group. Turner continued to build and lead the company's international business and marketing for the whole company.

At the TimeLine Product Group, Turner drove strong marketing, promotion and sales programs to accelerate momentum. By 1989 this merger was very successful—product group morale was high, TimeLine development continued apace, and the increased sales and marketing efforts applied built the TimeLine into the clear market lead in PC project management software on [[DOS]]. Both the Q&A and TimeLine product groups were healthily profitable. The profit stream and merger success set the stage for subsequent merger and acquisition activity by the company, and indeed funded the losses of some of the product groups that were subsequently acquired.<ref name=computerworld /> In 1989, Eubanks hired John Laing as VP worldwide sales, and Turner transferred the international division to Laing. Eubanks also recruited Bob Dykes to be executive vice president for operations and finance, in anticipation of the upcoming [[Initial public offering|IPO]]. On June 23, 1989, Symantec had its IPO, opening on [[NASDAQ]] as "SYMC".<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 26, 2002 |title=About Symantec – Corporate Information |url=http://www.symantec.com/corporate/ |access-date=November 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020126161313/http://www.symantec.com/corporate/ |archive-date=January 26, 2002 }}</ref>