INTERNET SECURITY SUITE Norton 360

Verdict: An excellent all-round security suite that’s worth every penny.

Rs 3,300 (3-user license)

www.symantec.com

OS: Windows XP SP2 / Vista / 7;

RAM: 256 MB;

Disk space: 300 MB

Norton security products have been on a roll ever since Symantec redesigned everything from the coding to the overall interface back in 2007. The program itself has many tweaks under the hood and offers protection like no other. Moreover, Symantec has maintained two different full-bodied products to cater to different individuals; from the tech-savvy to the novice. While Norton Internet Security (NIS) is aimed at advanced users, Norton 360 comes fine-tuned with all the latest features that NIS 2010 has, and it also includes backup features along with PC tune-up options.

The security suite is divided into four main sections, which include PC security, Identity Protection, Backup and PC Tune-up. Hovering over any of sections brings up a list of tasks that allow you to either run a scan, backup files or run optimizations at the click of a button. A few common aspects between the two security suites is the 'Flip' option that gives an overview of the overall performance impact that Norton and other system files have on the machine. The top half also provides a summary of the applications installed/downloaded, total number of detections, and quick scans. In addition to the hourly LiveUpdate downloads, Norton 360 makes use of Pulse updates, which fill in the gaps between hourly updates by providing small incremental updates every couple of minutes.

Norton 360 also lets you access a plethora of features via the task panel. Here again the tasks are grouped into three categories - General, Backup and PC Tune-up. Even with over 16 options available, the interface is very neatly organized, allowing you to shift focus from one task to another without getting lost. The security suite allows you to either back-up selected data to Norton’s online storage space (limited to 2 GB), or you can choose to store your files locally on a separate hard drive. Backup schedules can either be set to automatic, or you can choose weekly/monthly or manual modes. You can also add or exclude files and folders from being backed up.

PC Tune-up consists of a Diagnostic Report tool, Start-up Manager, Registry Cleaner, Norton Insight and Norton Tasks, which allows you to view CPU and memory usage. The application is not limited to detections based on virus definitions, but can also obtain information about programs from the Norton online community that keeps an updated record of questionable files. The Start-up Manager allows you to enable or disable unwanted applications from starting automatically.

Unlike NIS, Norton 360 consists of quick controls that bring in a more direct approach. For instance, if the need arises to turn off LiveUpdate or Norton’s Tamper Protection, all you needs to do is access the suite’s settings and uncheck the respective service. In NIS 2010, the same process would need you to scroll through various settings.

With coding rewritten from scratch, Norton 360 is a flawless little product that outperforms most security suites. It installs in less than two minutes, and leaves a very small memory footprint when idle (less than 20 MB). Moreover, there is a significant improvement in scan speeds, taking less than five minutes to scan 10 GB of data. The firewall also works flawlessly, automatically assigning permissions for applications. Norton 360 is one of the best security suites you can buy. It is aimed at users who want not just security, but also backup, disk optimization and clean-up features. All this at the click of a button. 

– sandeep.balachandran@chip.in