Since it was formed in 1982, Symantec has become renowned for its security and data management products and its antivirus expertise. ‘Big Yellow’, as the company is known after its distinctive logo, is living proof that security is big business, having grown steadily in the internet boom to become the world’s largest security and data management supplier.

The company employs 22,500 people worldwide and had revenues of $6.73bn for its full fiscal year 2012, up 9% on 2011. This makes Symantec roughly a tenth of the size of Microsoft in terms of revenue, and a quarter of the size by head count.