Norton 360 v3.0 stands up well against most of its rivals, especially in terms of features. The software is also easy to use and there’s very little management duties required. It’s not the prettiest software, but it’s not the ugliest either. Most importantly, because it uses same engine as Norton Internet Security 2009 it does a reasonable job of stopping malware and keeping your computer safe. It’s also relatively light on CPU and memory. My biggest gripes are that Symantec only provides 2GB of online storage space, which is pathetic given today’s monster hard drives, but there is a Premier edition with 25GB storage available for £10 extra. The built-in backup component doesn’t support passwords, file compression, or drive cloning either, and the tune-up software is superfluous because it’s nowhere near as good as individual programs dedicated to serving a specific purpose.

Another problem I encountered was that the Norton Identity Safe feature, which installed a toolbar into my browser and totally kept crashing Firefox 3.0.10 - at least until I uninstalled the plug-in and restarted my computer. Overall I didn’t really like Norton 360 v3.0, mainly because of the browser (and machine) crashes and the number of unnecessary features (backup and tuneup). And why on earth do you need to restart your computer after a virus database update? As far as I’m concerned, for pure security there are better offerings from the likes of ZoneAlarm, ESET and Webroot Software. Concluding on a plus note, the new version is definitely faster, less intrusive, and easier to use than previous versions, which will please many looking to upgrade.



Link: IT Reviewed