19 Apr 2007

NORTON 360: NOT EVEN HALF BAD

My Herald column about the internet security suite Norton 360, which is actually a fairly decent package. I was getting so frustrated with both McAfee Total Protection and Norton Internet Security 2007 which I run on different systems that I was about to uninstall both of them. I've only been running 360 for six weeks, but it's already proving to be much more efficient and unobtrusive. Shame that it misses a couple of useful things such as the digital vault and wireless networking security management.



The problem with paid-for security suites is that they feel the need to prove their value by constantly popping up in your face. The sharp, metallic alarm sound that McAfee uses to alert you to the fact it needs attention is particularly annoying, especially as it goes off a couple of times a day. What a hideous thing to set as a default on some software.

Norton 360 is a positive step forward, I hope this singles a step up for an industry that perhaps is worried about losing disillusioned customers to Vista users employing the enhanced security of the new operating system and some supplementary stand alone packages to do the job of a McAfee or Symantec.

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