Symantec should be thankful for a healthy year's worth of publicized data pratfalls an ocean away. International sales rose 21 per cent in its third fiscal quarter, bolstering a strong quarter for the security software firm and a cheery outlook for Q4.

Net income for the quarter rose 13 per cent to $132m, compared with $117m year-over-year. Operating income was $195m from $159m a year ago.

Revenue, excluding charges from acquisitions and expensing stock options rose 15 per cent to $1.53bn. While sales in North America rose eigh per cent to $789m, overseas revenue hit $812m and accounted for 53 per cent of the company's total revenue.

That's sure to please Wall Street, which had expected $1.49bn revs.

Symantec's security and data management segment represented 29 per cent of total revenue and grew nine per cent from last year. The data center management segment represented 29 per cent of total revenue and grew 11 per cent year-over-year. Consumer software also accounted for, you guessed it, 29 per cent of revenues.

The services segment accounted for six per cent of total revenue, growing 40 per cent from last year. Symantec's Altiris asset management software biz, bought last year, took seven per cent of the revenue, and grew 156 per cent.

Symantec forecasts fourth quarter revenue of $1.51bn-$1.55bn and full year revenues of $5.9bn-$5.94bn. ®