(Reuters) - Software security company Symantec Corp is in talks to sell its Veritas data storage business to private equity firm Carlyle Group LP , a person familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
The exact status of the talks could not be learned. Bloomberg News reported earlier that Symantec was nearing a deal to sell Veritas to Carlyle for between $7 billion and $8 billion, citing people with knowledge of the matter.
The Reuters source asked not to be identified because the negotiations are confidential. Symantec did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while Carlyle declined to comment.
Symantec has been seeking buyers for Veritas for several months but interest from potential buyers had been limited because of a tax burden associated with splitting the company. The company has plans to split in two, separating Veritas from Symantec, by January 2016.
(Reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler)
