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Norton Internet Security 2008 Review | Go to Site | View Full Comparison Chart |
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| Value price from a trusted name in security software | |
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Norton has become synonymous with PC security over the years for many users. They, along with their parent company Symantec, were among the first companies creating security software for PCs over two decades ago.
It took us nearly an hour to download and configure Norton Internet Security 2008, which was significantly longer than the download and configuration times of most of the other services we reviewed. Norton also seemed to run more slowly than some of the competitive Internet security software we tested. However, Norton claims that their newest software, Internet Security 2009, is actually the fastest security suite available, according to PassMark Software's performance tests. With an install time of less than a minute and faster scans that target only those files at risk, these new claims represent a market improvement of the Norton security software. That being said, we were impressed by overall functionality of the anti-spyware and anti-virus tools present in Norton Internet Security. The software effectively caught and eliminated several known malicious programs we attempted to download on our PC. Norton Internet Security 2009 introduces pulse updates, which are delivered to your computer every 5 to 15 minutes to detect and eliminate new threats. We were also impressed with Norton's phishing protection, which blocks access to websites that are known to be or suspected of being phishing scams. Norton also provides some basic identity theft protection in the form of added security for secure transactions, such as online banking or e-commerce shopping, and special encryption for sensitive password data. When we first reviewed this service, we were disappointed to find that spam protection was only available as an additional download, rather than being included in the base product. But Norton Internet Security 2009 does come standard with spam protection. The latest software release also includes a new recovery tool designed to repair and recover badly infected PCs. Parental controls and confidential information blocking are now available through a free, downloadable upgrade. And Norton is now offering free, unlimited tech support via email, chat and phone for the first year of service. Parental controls and confidential information blocking are also available through a free downloadable upgrade. $69.99 per year for up to three licenses, Norton is a comparable value to the majority of the services we have reviewed. Overall we think it is a solid product but we would recommend either ZoneAlarm or CA Internet Security Plus over Norton Internet Security for most users. System Requirements: Windows XP or Windows Vista |
| Price: | $69.99/yr for up to 3 users |
| Virus Protection: | Identifies and removes viruses |
| Adware and Spyware Protection: | Identifies and removes spyware/adware |
| Identity Theft Protection: | Encrypts passwords & other sensitive data; Added protection for secure transactions |
| Spam and Phishing Protection: | Detailed analysis of potential phishing sites; Optional spam protection |
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