Symantec updates Norton 360 security suite

Symantec Corp. (NASDAQ: SYMC) has released the latest version of its Norton 360 all-in-one security suite, promising consumers improved backup and faster restore performance.

Jordan Blake, product manager for Norton 360 at Symantec, said Norton 360 version 5.0 features Insight, which is a reputation-based security technology and can also be found in Symantec’s Endpoint Protection 12 security solution offering.

In version 5, Symantec has added the Norton Secured security badge, which is an image that shows up in search results to notify users on whether or not a specific Web site has been tested and authenticated by Symantec and deemed to be safe, even before they click on the link.

“The Norton Secured security badge is the first level of integration (as a result of the) VeriSign (acquisition) into Symantec Safe Web,” Blake said.

Other enhancements in version 5 include improved backup performance, restore performance and reduced system impact, Blake said.

The suite also has performance alerts and proactive messaging which can profile all of the applications on a user’s computer so they can see if a program is slowing them down. The alerts can also notify users when a program is “hogging” system resources.

The user interface also provides users with quick access to online services such as Norton Safe Web, Norton Online Family and Norton Cybercrime index.

“Version 5 also has double-digit improvements in speed of backup and restore features,” Blake said. “In version 4, backup time in seconds was 204. In version 5, it’s 166 seconds, a 18.63 per cent improvement increase. Restore time in version 4 was 197 seconds and version 5 is 177 seconds, so that’s a 10.15 per cent improvement increase.”

Norton 360 version 5 is now available and can be installed on up to three PCs. The suggested Canadian retail pricing for the product is $89.99 for the standard edition, which comes with 2GB of online storage space. A premium edition of the suite is also available and comes with 25GB of online storage space.

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