managing the virus hunters

1. Case Application
Imagine what life would be like if your product were never finished, if your work were never done, if
your market shifted 30 times a day. The computer-virus hunters at Symantec Corp. don’t have to
imagine. “That’s the reality of their daily work life. At the company’s response lab in Santa Monica,
California, described as the “dirtiest of all our networks at Symantec. “ Software analysts collect
viruses and other suspicious cod and try to figure out how they work so the company can provide
security updates to its customers. There’s even a hazardous materials box by the door to the lab,
marked DANGER, where they put all the discs, tapes, and hard drives with the nasty viruses that need
to be completely disposed of. Symantec’s situations may seem unique, but the company, which makes
content and network security software for both consumers and businesses, reflects the realities
facing many organizations today: quickly shifting customer expectations and continuously emerging
global competitors that have drastically shortened product life cycles. Managing talented people in
such an environment can be quite challenging as well.
Vincent Weafer, a native of Ireland, has been the leader of Symantec’s virus hunting team since 1999.
Back then, he said “there were less than two dozen people, and . . . nothing really happened. We’d see
may be five new viruses a day, and they would spread in a matter of months, not minutes. “Now,
Symantec’s virus hunter around the words deals with some 20,000 virus samples each month, not all
of which are unique, stand-alone viruses. To make the hunter’s jobs even more interesting, computer
attacks are increasingly being spread by criminals wanting to steal information, whether corporate
data or personal user account information that can be used in fraud. Dealing with these critical and
time-sensitive issues requires special talents. The response center team is a diverse group whose
members weren’t easy to find. Said Weafer, “it’s not as if colleges are creating thousands of anti-
malware or security experts every year that we can hire. If you find them in any part of the world. You
just go after them. “The response center team’s makeup reflects that. For instance, one senior
researcher is from Hungary, another is from Iceland, and another works out of her home in
Melbourne. Florida, but they all share something in common: They’re all motivated by solving
problems.
The launch of the blaster-B worm changed the company’s approach to dealing with viruses. The
domino effect of Blaster-B and other viruses spawned by it meant that frontline software analysts
were working around the clock for almost two weeks. The “employee burn-out” potential made the
company realize that its virus-hunting team would now have to be much deeper, talent-wise. Now, the
response center’s team numbers in the hundreds and managers can rotate people from the frontlines,
where they’re responsible for responding to new security threats that crop up, into groups where
they can help with new-product development. Others write internal research papers. Still others are
assigned to develop new tools that will help their colleagues battle the next wave of threats. There’s
even an individual who tries to figure out what makes the virus writers tick-and the day never ends
for these virus hunters. When Santa Monica’s team finished its day, colleagues in Tokyo take over.
When the Japanese team finishes its day, it hands off to Dublin which then hands back to Santa Monica
for the new day. It’s a frenetic, chaotic, challenging work environment that spans the entire globe. But
Weafer said his goals are to “ try to take the chaos out, to make the exciting boring, “ to have a pre-
datable and well-defined process for dealing with the virus threats, and to spread work evenly to the
company’s facilities around the world. It’s a managerial challenge that Weafer has embraced.
Managing The Virus Hunters. 1

2. Questions of Case Study:
Q1. Keeping professional’s excited about work that is routine and standardized and chaotic is a major
challenge for Vincent Weafer. How could he use technical, human, and conceptual skills to maintain an
environment that encourages innovation and professionalism among the virus hunters?
Answer: Vincent Weafer’s applies following techniques that encourage innovation and professionalism
among the virus hunters.
1- Firstly, he divided work into smaller and specialised groups to perform in much better way.
2- To attain professionalism he then focuses on efficient working. As the work keeps on
moving and never stopped. When Santa Monica’s team finished, Tokyo took over, when
Japanese team finishes this handed over to Dublin and then again back to Santa Monica.
Q2. What management roles would Vincent be playing as he
(a) Had weekly security briefing conference calls with co-workers around the globe.
(b) Assessed the feasibility of adding a new network security consulting service, or
(c) Kept employees focused on the company’s commitments to customers?
Answer: According to the conditions Vincent has played following roles respectively.
(a) Vincent has played Interpersonal role as he worked as a figurehead, leader, liaison as he was
obliged to perform number of duties he motivates and gathered many students and develop
relations with them and also informational role as he act as a monitor, spokesman and a
disseminator as he maintains personal contacts with others and by sharing stuff with them.
(b) Vincent has approached towards Decisional role as he worked as a disturbance handler while
gathering solutions for the problem and resource allocator while dividing the work in specialised
groups and giving them tasks according to their nature of job.
(c) Vincent played interpersonal role here as he worked as a figurehead while gathering everyone
on same platform and then as a leader as he provoked his employees to focus on company’s
commitments to provide better security updates to the customers.
Q3. Go to Symantec’s Web site and look up information about the company. What can you tell about its
emphasis on customer service and innovation? In what ways does the organization support its
employees in serving customers and in being innovative?
Answer: Symantec was founded in 1982 by visionary computer scientists. The company has evolved to
become one of the world’s largest software companies. They provide security, storage and systems
Managing The Virus Hunters. 2

3. management solutions to help their customers – from consumers and small businesses to the largest
global organizations – to secure and manage their information-driven world against more risks at more
points, more completely and efficiently than any other company.
There EMPHASIS ON CUSTOMER SERVICE AND INNOVATION
Their main perspective is to focus on Customer satisfaction and Innovation. They remain committed to
provide better solutions and secure information management more completely and in much efficient
and effective way.
Organization supports there employs in number of ways. They have an entrepreneurial corporate
culture that encourages innovation and empowers employees to respond quickly to strategic
opportunities. They strive to support their employees in the use of their time, energy and financial
resources to make their communities better places in which to live
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Customer driven strategies are there main focusing points at any level of the organization from top to
frontline. Both management and co-workers prioritize the fact that they have to provide best solutions for
their customers. There vital work is governed and guided by a set of core values.
Innovation
Symantec’s strategy of open innovation focuses on delivering the best solutions to its customers –
whether those solutions come as a result of building them internally, developing them with technology
partners or acquiring them outright.
Q4. What could other managers learn from the Vincent Weafer and Symantec’s approach?
Answer: Following points can b learnt from Vincent and Symantec’s approach
1) Enhances teamwork, promoting honesty, a forthright approach, respect for the individual and
reward for innovation and creativity.
2) Disturbance handling and problem solving with the best allocation of resources.
3) Creating Customer focusing strategies.
4) Time Management.
5) Monitoring and improving services.
6) Create Lasting Customer and Partner Loyalty.
7) How to work with diverse people.
8) Maintains efficiency.
Managing The Virus Hunters. 3