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Norton 360 (2013)
The latest version of Norton 360
(2013 Edition) has arrived which boasts two versions, a standard
version that allows up to 2GB of online storage and a premier edition
that allows a whopping 25GB of online storage. Norton 360 also boasts
identity protection and even a PC tune-up tool to ensure that your
computer is running as smooth as possible.
Consider Norton 360 your computer mechanic, nanny and security guard. At
its core, Norton 360 offers almost total protection of your PC from all
sorts of cybercriminals and threats which boasts a collection of
powerful technologies that include;
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Antitvirus
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Antispyware
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Browser protection
-
5
patented layers of protection
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Facebook protection
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Parental controls
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Advanced online identity theft protection
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Automatic backups and tune-ups
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2
GB of secured online storage
The
best facet of Norton 360 is that Symantec continue to update their
software with the changing threat landscape and although traditional
computer viruses are still rampant throughout the internet,
cybercriminals have changed their tactics from infecting your computer
with bots or using phishing tools to steal your personal data such as
credit card details and identity.
Norton
also offers 24x7 support on their products which means if you ever get
into a pickle, someone from Symantec will be available to assist you
with your issue. The version of Norton 360 that we tested gave us three
licenses which means we could install this program on three separate
computers which is ideal for families or small businesses.
Installation
In
terms of installation, we tested Norton 360 on Windows 8 and once the CD
was detected, the software was automatically installed with minimal
prompting from the user. This means that Norton 360 is extremely user
friendly and for the most part, will silently monitor your system in the
background.
Installation also took only a few minutes and the longest part of the
installation was updating its files online. Best of all, when installed,
we noticed no system slowdown whatsoever. With that said, the system
requirements of Norton 360 are quite bare boned and this product will
work on any PC running Windows XP with a CPU speed of 300Mhz, 256MB of
RAM and 300MB of available hard drive space. Given that, most modern
computers are far more powerful than the basic system requirements
needed to successfully run this program.
Interface
Once
installed, we were treated to the traditional yellow/grey interface of
Norton 360 that seems more streamlined and easier to use than the
previous version. If you are using Windows 8, you'll definitely get a
kick out of the internet, especially using a touch screen. The main
screen of Norton 360 features four main tabs that include Security,
Identity, Backup and Tuneup.
On the
top of the interface, there are additional menus for tasks, settings,
performance, feedback, account and support. On the right, there are four
small icons that include manage, mobile, online family and safeweb.
Finally, at the bottom of the screen, there is a subscription status
informing the user of how many days left in the registration and the
option of renewing the product.
Protection Straight Away
Straight out of the box or downloaded from the net, the standard
settings of Norton 360 will probably suit the majority of computer
users. There are advanced features in the program if users want to tweak
the abilities of Norton 360 but for us, we found that the standard
settings worked fine on our Windows 8 PC.
Without getting into technicalities, Norton 360 stopped all attacks such
as spyware, viruses, key loggers and rootkits. If somehow one of these
got through Norton 360's defences, the program does allow for an
emergency boot disc to recover your system.
The
program also has a personal firewall and does a great job at stopping
outside computers accessing your PC. This also includes spam e-mail and
even Facebook protection such as unsuspecting people posting links on
your wall that may be an infected site.
Protection
Whether you're surfing the net or installed a program from a website,
Norton 360 will protect you. This software package basically scans
websites and files for viruses, malware and other nefarious criminal
activities that you might encounter. Using advanced heuristics, even if
Norton 360 stumbles upon a new virus or piece of malware, its algorithms
should protect your PC and more importantly your identity.
Extras
Apart from computer threats, Norton 360 contains some great bonuses for
the user. With the standard edition giving users 2GB of online space,
the premier edition boasts 25GB which allows users to store
whatever they want on secured Symantec servers. This means you can
upload photos, documents, music or anything that you need backed up
online.
The
backup tools are built directly into the product so there is no excuse
in not backing up your documents. Norton also supports local backups to
a variety of different media such as USB drives and DVD's. Additional
storage can also be purchased through Symantec as well.
I also
loved the option of Norton 360 automatically backing up important
folders such as "My Documents" and "My Photos". Similar to Dropbox, you
can even send friends and colleagues a link to certain files on your
backup which expires after 14 days.
Tune-Up
The PC
tune-up aspect of the program scans your computer for any issues such as
corrupt registry files. This also allows you to view your start-up files
and tweak what is loaded when your PC first boots. My favourite aspect
of tune-up is the defragmentation tool that cleans up your hard drive
and removes "junk directories and files".
The
program even supports a diagnostic report which scans your computer for
issues and best of all, this is all part of the package unlike a certain
internet security provider which charges for this functionality. The
parental control is another great feature of Norton 360 that helps
parents protect their children online and best of all, it's easy to use.
Final Thoughts?
In conclusion, Norton 360 continues to be one of the world's most
important software programs that should be installed on your computer.
With an easy to use interface, protection from all internet threats, a
PC tune-up option and some great backup features from local to online,
Symantec should be commended on another excellent release. With no
noticeable speed issues with our system and best of all, silent running
of your PC, Norton 360 will do all the work while the user is blissfully
unaware.
Highly
Recommended!
Features
Core Protection
Delivers up-to-the-minute protection with rapid pulse updates every 5 to
15 minutes
Improved performance delivers faster scans
Silent mode suspends alerts and updates to avoid interrupting or slowing
games and movies
Cloud-based Norton Management lets you download, install, transfer,
update or renew your Norton products from anywhere, right over the
Internet
Norton Safe Web for Facebook® scans your News Feed for dangerous
dowloads and warns you and your friends about them
Detects and removes spyware and unwanted monitoring software
Block Internet worms at the point of entry
Block hackers from accessing your computer
Smart Startup Manager turns off unnecessary startup programs for faster
PC startups
Tightly integrated spam filtering makes every email count
Monthly report shows details of your PC's activities, such as threats
caught, tune-up tasks performed and files backed up
Back-up to Blu-ray Disc, HD-DVD, and iPod
Keeps all of your important pictures, music, documents, videos, etc.
protected at a secured offsite location
Once setup is complete, your files are backed up automatically
Includes 2 GB of online storage (Standard Edition)
Includes 25 GB of secured online backup, enough to store hundreds of
photos or songs (Premier)
Parental Control
Parental Controls Management tracks where your kids go and what they do
online so you can keep them safe from online dangers
Support
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