Symantec took a step towards turning itself into a provider of hosted services for small- and medium-sized businesses this week when it started beta testing an online backup service in the US.

The Cupertino, California-based, security and storage management software maker launched a trial version of its online backup service called Symantec Protection Network -- Online Backup Service. The new service is the first of several new services planned under the Symantec Protection Network brand, the company said on Monday in the US.

"Many small and midsized businesses have not had the ability to get the reliable and secure service … due to cost and lack of resources," Arthur Wong, a Symantec senior vice president, said in a statement. Symantec aims to deliver easy-to-manage services at an affordable cost, the company said.

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Symantec, SMB, Online, Backup