What is Norton 360?
What is Norton 360?
Norton 360 is a all-in-one security package that offers everything from online backup to protection from viruses. The product retails for about $70 and competes with solutions such as McAfee Total Security and Windows Live OneCare.
Installation and Setup
Norton 360 is exceptionally easy to install and setup. It runs on both XP (SP2 or SP3) and on any version of Windows Vista. To get started, you download and run a small setup file which then in turn downloads and installs the main program files. And that's really all there is to it. No reboot is needed and no complex configuration is necessary. Norton 360 simply works right out of the box.
User Interface
Norton 360's interface is somewhat unusual, but it's lean, clean and certainly makes navigation easy. Simply hover the cursor over any of the buttons, and you'll be presented with a list of options - for example, hover over the Backup button and you'll be see a list of options which enable create a backup, restore files or purchase additional online storage space.
Features
Norton 360 is absolutely packed with features including:
- Antivirus and antimalware including on-demand and scheduled scans in addition to real-time protection.
- Antispam filtering for both Outlook and Outlook Express
- Phishing protection Norton 360 integrates with both Internet Explorer of Firefox to protect you from phishing websites.
- Identity Protection Secure login and form filling.
- Backup and restore 2 GB of online storage is provided with your subscription and additional space can be purchased if needed
- PC tune up Norton 360 includes a disk optimizer, a file and registry cleanup tool and a start-up manager.
- Firewall to protect against hackers and other internet threats.
- Parental controls to restrict the websites your children can visit.
Additionally, Norton 360 also offers parental control features through an optionally installed add-on. The parental controls use the OnlineFamily.Norton service which is completely free until January 1st, 2010 and works using customizable profiles for adults, teenagers and children.
Performance
While Norton products have always had a reputation for their excellent malware detection capabilities, they have also always had a reputation as notorious resource hogs. But that's all changed with the 2009 product line: detection capabilities are still excellent, but resource usage has dropped considerably. In fact, Norton 360 used a minimal amount of memory and had almost no impact on the performance of my test system. In all probability, you'll not even know that the product is running.
Security and Protection
As already mentioned, Norton products have always provided industry-leading protection and this certainly holds true for Norton 360. The product has been certified by both West Coast Labs and ICSA, has received numerous VB100 awards and regularly heads the pack in tests by independent bodies such as AV Comparatives (www.av-comparatives.org).
But Norton 360 is much more than a virus blocker. As noted above, Norton 360 integrates with both Internet Explorer and Firefox. Clicking on the Site Safety button that Norton 360 automatically adds to these browser's toolbars enables you to see the safety rating of the site you are currently visiting. Additionally, the product also shows an icon in search results to show whether each website listed is safe. The feature works extremely well and will certainly help you avoid phishing websites and other dangerous locations.
Norton 360's Identity Safe feature is especially useful. The Identity Safe acts as a password-protected and encrypted repository for all of your login information, personal information and credit data. That information can then be used to securely and automatically complete online forms. Not only does this protect you from password-stealing keyloggers, but it also makes filling out web forms to be a considerably speedier process.
The main reason that so many people do not back up their data is that it can be a time consuming and complex process - especially for inexperienced users. But Norton 360 makes the process quick, easy and entirely painless. It's as simple as choosing what, where and when. To make the process even easier, Norton 360 automatically selects the files and folders that people are most likely to want to back up (music, videos, contacts, office documents, etc.), but it's extremely simple to add or remove other items to the list.
It's then simply a matter of deciding where the files are to be backed up (local hard disk, CD/DVD or online storage) and when they are to be backed up.
Once you've configured the backup options, the rest of the process is completely automated. Your files and folders will be regularly backed up on whatever schedule you set without the need for you to do anything further. The backups happen when the computer is idle, so you'll not even notice them running. Norton 360 makes the whole process surprising easy.
The Bottom Line
Norton 360 is the only security product you'll need. It's an antivirus solution, spam blocker, backup tool, phishing/web filter, password manager and form filler, firewall, system cleaner and optimizer all rolled into one easy-to-use, set-and-forget package. Best of all, it offers best of breed protection against malware and, unlike earlier products in the Norton line, has practically no impact on performance. Highly recommended!
Learn more about Norton 360 including a free trial and ways to purchase.