Symantec releases the new Norton 360 version 3.0
By Vimali Swamy   |   Thursday, 02 April 2009, 02:05 IST
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Bangalore: Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC) has launched its new all-in-one security solution for protecting consumers' PC and online activities - Norton 360 version 3.0. Better enhanced with quite a many features, the latest version of Norton 360 includes security and performance enhancements that keep the PC protected and running at peak performance, and increased online backup flexibility for safeguarding the most important files. Norton 360 now further extends protection to online activities with the full-featured version of the new Web site ratings service, Norton Safe Web. Giving a peek preview on Norton 360 version 3.0, David Hall, Regional Product Marketing Manager (Consumer products and Solution), Symantec, talked exclusively to siliconindia about the product. "At Syamntec it has been our endeavor to provide a safe web and PC experience," says Hall. With offices in 61 countries, 40,000 registered sensors across 180 countries, five operation centers, eight security response centers and 11 support centers; the company boasts of the largest and fastest response to security threats to the users. The Norton 360 has just added mileage to its security response services. "With the version 3 the company has aimed at providing an 'all in one set and forget solution' that will free the users from the constant trouble of manually managing all the security solution," he says. Norton 360 boasts the ultra-light and fast performance that is the hallmark of the Norton 2009 product line. While utilizing an average install time of approximately one minute, it uses a memory space of 10MB only. The new version also includes all of the performance and security enhancements of Norton Internet Security 2009, such as Norton Insight and pulse updates that result in intelligent scanning and the industry�s most frequent protection updates. In the recent years, 'drive by download' has become the most used method to infect user PCs. This method inconspicuously imitates well-known websites or software links to make an Internet user download a particular software or Internet tools and thereby infecting his PC. Norton 360 ensures that all threatening malwares or infected sites are diminished at the browser level. It also marks the safe and unsafe websites when a user uses a search engine there by preventing him from entering any suspicious websites. Some of the distinct features of the products include: Norton Safe Web: Norton 360 now includes Norton Safe Web, a web site rating service designed to extend protection to the users' online experience - whether browsing, searching, shopping or interacting. Based on the nature of today's threats, consumers need a warning prior to visiting a site. In fact, nearly 60 percent of unsafe sites identified by Norton Safe Web are found to contain threats that can infect PCs without requiring the user to download or install files. Norton Safe Web delivers the freshest, most accurate site ratings by leveraging targeted crawling, a unique Intelligent Aging Algorithm and the 20 million member Norton Community Watch. In addition, Norton Safe Web also extends protection by providing e-commerce safety ratings that enable users to make informed decisions about whether to conduct a transaction with an online vendor. Security and Identity Protection: Norton 360 provides the latest security innovations that deliver up-to-the-minute protection against threats. In addition to technologies like Norton Insight, Norton 360 includes Norton Identity Safe, which securely manages online identities, stores usernames and passwords for convenient online shopping, banking and browsing, and prevents eavesdropping programs such as key loggers from capturing private information. Backup: The new version features the Norton Backup Drive, which enables users to manage backup through the familiar Windows Explorer interface, while Backup Source Selection and File Type Management provide maximum flexibility. In addition, users can backup files to multiple destinations such as USB flash drives, iPods, CD/DVDs, Blu-ray media or secured online storage. The online storage varies from 2 GB to 25 GB depending on the package opted by the user. Tuneup: The latest version of Norton 360 includes Smart Startup Manager to turn off or delay unnecessary programs that slow startup time. Smart Startup Manager notifies users about new start-up items and measures the performance impact of each item. Norton 360 Version 3.0 also provides an enhanced Diagnostic Report showing a comprehensive system snapshot with recommended tips to keep the PC running at its best. Also the scans or any other security activities are done automatically when the PC is idle, thereby avoiding any disturbance to the users. Free Support: Norton 360 now features free web, email, live chat or phone support for a period of one year. Additionally, users can access One-Click Support to get help immediately and directly from the product's interface. Pricing and Availability Norton 360 version 3.0 which is currently available for purchase through the Symantec online store, will also be available at various retail locations from mid-April 2009. The standard edition of Norton 360 includes 2GB of secured online storage, and additional online storage can be purchased. Current Norton 360 customers with an active subscription can receive an update with the new features at no additional charge by visiting the Norton Update Center. It is also compatible with Windows 7, and it will be available for free once the final version of the operating system is made available. Norton 360 will also be available in the following packages: * Norton 360 Premier Edition � 4230 (includes 25GB of secured online storage) * Norton 360 V3 1 user: 2820 * Norton 360 V3 3 user: 3760 * Norton 360 V3 5 user: 6110 * Norton 360 V3 10 user: 11280

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