NEW YORK – Security software company Symantec is in advanced talks to split up its business into two entities — one that sells security programmes and another that does data storage — said insiders, joining other technology firms that are trying to make their business more focused and nimble.

An announcement may be a few weeks away, a source said. If the break-up is carried out, Symantec would add to the trend of Silicon Valley technology companies that are cleaving themselves into pieces.

This week, Hewlett-Packard said it would hive off its personal computer and printer businesses into one entity and carve the corporate hardware and services departments into another company. eBay also said on Sept 30 that it would separate its PayPal digital-payments unit and marketplace business by the end of next year.

Symantec, which last month appointed its interim CEO permanently to the role, has been struggling to rev up growth. Revenue fell in the latest fiscal year and is projected to be unchanged this year, as the firm grapples with a PC slump that has crimped sales of its antivirus software.

Symantec has explored and dropped the idea of a split in the past, said a person with knowledge of the matter, adding that new CEO Michael Brown supports a break-up.

A split may position its separated businesses as acquisition targets, given that large firms including EMC have been keen on the stand-alone security business or an independent storage business, said a source. Bloomberg