Norton 360 Premier

Editor's Review

Norton is a name that's synonymous with antivirus and PC security software, and the latest edition of Norton 360 offers a range of improvements and new features to keep that name at the top.

Boasting improved virus identification, always-on, intuitive online protection and security, an ultra-smooth user interface, optimization and tuning tools, faster and lighter processing and now online backup, Norton 360 Version 4.0 is one of the most advanced and user-friendly PC security suites available

Users familiar with antivirus and security suites will have no doubt heard of Norton 360. One of the most popular and highly acclaimed security suites currently battling at the top of the market, Version 4 includes all the features on offer in Norton Antivirus and Norton Internet Security. For users looking for total PC protection and security, Norton 360 Version 4.0 Premier is the application to look at.

Improving on Norton's historically bloated software installations, the installation process for Norton 360 is remarkably quick and streamlined. The software all launches through a single application, ensuring that even casual PC users will be able to easily access and control their antivirus and PC security application. The user interface is quite simple and streamlined, though with the near completely automated security processes it's unlikely that users will ever need to use it.

Boasting an almost bamboozling number of security features, from antivirus to anti-spyware, to botnet protection and firewall, the ongoing PC scanning and malware controls ensure Norton 360 is the top product on offer from Norton, and one of the top industry-wide.

What has made big headlines with the release of 360 4.0 is the sizeable 25GB of online backup (dwarfing the standard edition) and 'Quorum' scanning method. The former gives you more space than you know what to do with when storing all your most important files and data for both quarantine and safekeeping in case of a PC meltdown. It can also just be used to store excess files that are bloating your machine, lightening its load so the new optimization tools can really get to work. The latter is a super-intuitive scanning system that seeks out previously unknown malware through advanced methods like IP address scanning on threatening files.

When running as a background application, Norton 360 causes no noticeable system slowdown. Of course, performance during tests and virus scanning is slow and inefficient, but that's to be expected with a security suite of this size and depth.

Norton 360 Version 4.0 Premier includes a license for 3 PCs, and for home networks it's worth making the most of it. With significantly improved performance from Norton's previous home offerings, Norton 360 will perform effectively on every PC in the house.

Norton 360 Premier: What We Liked

Performance is significantly improved from Norton's previous release - both faster and lighter.

Covers all bases - antivirus, anti spyware, firewall, identity protection, tuneup and backup tools. You won't need to look anywhere else or pay for anything more.

Major security processes are automated, allowing casual PC users to take advantage of Norton 360's protective capabilities.

25GB of long-time-coming online backup.

Intuitive and advanced 'Quorum' scanning technology for even unknown malware.

Norton 360 Premier: What We Didn't Like

As almost everything is automated by default, power users will need to invest some time into changing controls to manual.

Symantec Support

Symantec offer online support for Norton users. Online resources include a detailed FAQ, product knowledge base, and an online update and software registration base.

About Symantec

Founded in 1982, Symantec are one of the most well-known and highly regarded PC software manufacturers in the PC security field. With over 17,000 employees and locations in over 40 countries, their software is used by millions of home users, small businesses, and enterprises worldwide.