Norton Internet Security 2010 1-User/3PC
| Norton Internet Security 2010 1-User/3PC |
Norton Internet Security 2010 Key Benefits
Norton Internet Security 2010 FeaturesIntelligent Protection
Engineered for Speed
Combats today's rapid-fire attacks
Provides info on threats, downloads and files
Helps keep your PC running at top speed
Protection without disruption
Additional Features
Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Seems very similar to 2009 versionI switched back to Norton from their main competitor in 2009. The 2009 version of NIS was a real breakthrough for Norton: It was much faster and easier to use than previous versions. So when my 2009 subscription expired, I upgraded to NIS 2010. As far as I can tell, the 2 versions are very similar. I've not run into any problems with either version. I don't see any significant differences in performance or functionality between the 2 versions. Note: Anti-spam is supposed to be much improved in the 2010 version, but since my ISP does my spam filtering for me, I haven't tried the 2010 anti-spam. I highly recommend this product. Rating: - Good - and easy to useI was surprised and pleased to discover, that besides an intuitive interface, Norton Internet Security 2010 seems to go out of its way to make it easy for the user to educate him/herself about the various threats that the application purports to defend against. The program includes both LAN and WAN network monitoring. Firstly, it examines the network security setup and informs the user whether or not it is secure, and if not, how to make it so. I was pleased to learn that my wireless home network was indeed as secure as I had thought; namely, a well-encrypted WPA-2 security setup that was up to date. Again, Norton offered to educate me on why this was important. Also included in the network portion of the suite, is a "network security map" that enables me to see the other computers in my wireless network, as well as determine the degree to which they are protected. Each individual computer however, must also be running the Norton software. On a broader scale, Norton puts considerable effort into monitoring my comings and goings on the WAN that I am part of, namely the Internet. The program integrates a number of security technologies having to do with staying safe on the Web. It has an anti-spyware component, as well as a "safe-surfing" element that also incorporates an anti-phishing analysis, rating, and notification system for web sites. The "smart firewall" cloaks the ports on my computer while I am surfing, and detects any port scanning attempts. If I expect to be away from my computer for awhile, I can set Norton to block all network traffic (to and from my machine). The rules that the firewall uses are separated into two categories, general and program, the former obviously being rules that are designed to recognize and block generic malware behaviors, and the latter being rules that apply to the programs that I have installed, and the ways in which they connect to the network and the Internet. The rules for both categories can be modified, or excepted, by the user. The documentation notes that some sites and/or programs might exhibit behaviors that are similar to those of malware, so they can be specifically allowed by IP address or name. Conversely, the user can also identify and permanently block specific computers. As expected, the Norton Internet Security 2010 suite includes a robust anti-virus component. Besides updating the definition database quite frequently, it also has something that it calls "Insight Protection," which is just Symantec's name for a community-based virus suspect reporting system. Basically, it's a system where individual users watch for new and emerging threats, and report them not only to Symantec, but also to one another. Norton calls this a "cloud" of definitions. Much like the seller ratings on Amazon or Ebay, individuals that participate earn their reputations and are given ratings and labels that reflect their level of expertise and/or helpfulness in the fight to overcome the malware writers. All in all, I found this program to be cutting edge, and extremely user friendly. Rating:  - A surprisingly small footprint for all that it does.It's been a long time since I installed Norton *anything* on any of my computers, easily six years and probably closer to eight. I remember having a home-built PC that was quick and sure-footed, and then I installed some flavor of Norton SystemWorks and it was like my brand new computer aged six years before my eyes. The system demands were so insane that I was losing nearly 1/3 of my computing power just to protect the operating system. I moved on to more lightweight tools like NOD32, and eventually to free tools like AVG Free and Avast. When I was offered Norton Internet Security 2010 (NIS) I decided to give it a whirl. I'd been hearing good things about it; specifically, how free apps like AVG Free were getting bloated and overextended while Norton's offerings were doing the reverse. So I set up a new clean WinXP virtual machine on my Mac, installed NIS and gave it a whirl. Sidenote: I'm using a virtual machine as my testing environment because it's easier to perform testing on, and represents an increasingly large segment of the computing population. It also stands to reason that if I see improvements in performance on a virtual machine, the improvements would be that much better on a physical machine. After a reasonably pleasant installation process and a reboot I was in business. I'm not going to delve into every little aspect of the application since there are more comprehensive reviews that dwell on every nut and bolt. Instead, I'll point out the things which caught my attention. The user interface is attractive, informative, and generally easy to read and use. I was rarely left wondering if part of my system was unprotected or otherwise in need of attention, and the addition of integrated pop-up help is a nice touch that you don't see in a lot of utility software. NIS presents itself as being easy for a novice to use, which is very important given that a LOT of people are ignorant about computer security. But NIS's simplicity hides some deeper tools that allow power users access to information and tools that neophytes wouldn't have a clue about. I appreciated this "dual nature" of the software as it lends itself to all types of people. (Try explaining how to use, say, Spybot S&D to a neophyte user.) What impressed me the most was the relatively small footprint of the software. Boot time and shutdown time were not noticably increased (versus my unprotected virtual machine). A complete system scan was faster with NIS than with AVG Free, despite NIS looking for a greater number of threats than AVG Free. NIS's memory footprint was about the same as AVG Free's, though again NIS is doing more than AVG Free so this was pretty impressive. Of course, no AV software is any good unless it does the job. Using a semi-custom tool I dumped a random assortment of about 300 viruses and other forms of malware into my virtual machine, including several which were discovered in the past few months. On its first scan AVG Free (which was fully updated) found and cleaned about 90% of them, though most of what AVG Free missed was outside the scope of its functionality. NIS found and cleaned about 98% of the malicious software. What was more impressive (IMO) was that my virtual machine was perfectly useable and responsive during the NIS scan, while AVG Free's scan caused my virtual machine to lag noticeably. I was on my way to giving this software a five star review, but then I started experimenting with the firewall. Here's where Symantec needs to put some R&D money. The firewall has a large number of settings and preferences in it, but unlike other areas of the software there's no clear demarcation between novice and experienced users. If you don't understand firewall settings you're bound to be confused. I'm happy to see that Symantec did a lot of improvement over the past six years. In doing these tests I'm also reminded of one of the main reasons why I'm a Mac user rather than a Windows user. :) Rating: - Reliable and effective protection with low system impactPrevious versions of Norton were lousy. In 2009 Symantec went back to the drawing board and designed a product that took effective protection and wrapped it into a program that barely impacts the system. While no product is 100% effective, installed onto a clean system Norton installed in less than 1 minute and caused no slowdowns. Tech support is even better, choosing to do remote sessions to resolve problems rather than dealign with offshore tech support Rating: - Better than Norton 360This is a better product then the Norton 360. It runs faster and seems to be much better at detecting threats. I find the interface easy to understand and use 
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