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Symantec Norton Internet Security 2013 Review and Symantec Norton 360 Review

Symantec Norton Internet Security and Norton 360 are for people who do not want to worry about internet security

This is our opinion.  NIS is a Great Product but read more.  We actually use / have purchased / or have installed Norton Internet Security 2013 and Norton 360 for ourselves, our associates and our families.  We have configured hundreds of licensed products over the years.

Norton Security is software as a service, see out Software Subscription / Cloud Computing review

New!  See our Windows 8 Review.  Also see our Best Buy Return Policy Review 
We've just became aware that a government ID is now required for ALL Best Buy returns and the ID is RECORDED by Best Buy read our review

See the Sections:

Background, Things We Like, Things We Don't Like and Things We Really Really Hate (we would sue if we could) about Norton Internet Security and Symantec Security

After all of the following is said and done, we believe Symantec's Norton Internet Security has it's consumer product in order (but we would STILL sue for restraint of business trade - see the end of this page)

Background:

  • Norton Utilities, Norton Anti-virus and Norton Internet Security have been around 'forever';  at least since the 1980's
  • Norton has saved thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands and maybe millions of people from computer infections, crashes and disasters
  • Symantec / Norton lost its way in the early 2000's - the software became glitchie, piggish.  It became bloat ware and caused PC's to crash, caused PC's to slow down to a crawl.  Symantec Security  / Norton Security got to be junk software
  • Norton did not work with Windows Vista when Vista was released.
  • Getting Symantec Norton Technical Support was like finding a hen's tooth
  • Forget all of the above.  Symantec NORTON SECURITY is NOW the best security software on the market in 2013.  Its best because it lets you forget it is installed and working for you
  • Current versions of Norton perform perfectly on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. 
  • Norton can be trusted again to work - to do its job
  • NIS and Norton 360 are very similar products with slightly different feature lists.  Compare the features to see what suits your needs best

Things we like about Symantec Norton Internet Security and Norton 360 - Why Norton is best.  How Symantec got it right

  • Norton is security for everyone that does not want to think about security; for those who do not know a thing about PC security
  • You can Install it and forget it.  Your PC will be safe as long as you keep Norton working and keep your license current (make sure your PC is clean when you first install it)
  • If you don't want to know about internet security, you don't have to tinker with Norton Internet Security settings
  • Norton will protect you without you having to do a thing!
  • The software installs fast and seamlessly on your PC
  • It works on all versions of Windows including Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7
  • It works on 32 bit and 64 bit machines.
  • Norton Internet Security, Norton 360 and Norton Anti-Virus are fast.  Scanning takes just a few minutes but if you are using your computer, Norton will pause automatically, there is no performance drag to let you know it is doing its job
  • There is actually technical support in 2013.  We've had (very very few) severe problems but technical support was able to help us remotely (we actually talked to someone 1st but wished they were American with American accents)
  • Security updates come continuously, automatically every minute or every second they are available.  New (zero day) security problems are likely stopped before you get infected
  • Licenses are available in 1 pc, 3 pc, 5 pc 10 pc and other versions

Things we don't like about Symantec: Norton Anti-Virus, Norton Internet Security and Norton 360

  • When the Norton license expires your protection stops.  Competing security software continues to work at the end of the license expiration but the updates stops. 
  • Norton is intrusive in its requests for information, in its web registration requests and tracking use over the internet
  • Norton nags you to register persistently and unendingly.  You can avoid registering but it takes tinkering
  • Norton adds plug-ins to both Internet Explorer Browser and Firefox Browser.  The plug-ins are hard to disable or remove and have been a bit buggy in Firefox
  • Other more technical reviewers say that Norton is the best in Stopping new infections but is only fairly effective in REMOVING problems.- we cannot confirm because we have not had infections that Norton did not remove
  • Some site downloads and / or software installations suffer performance problems when Symantec's Norton Internet Security and / or Symantec's Norton 360 is installed (on some machines) 
  • Specifically, Adobe trial downloads have been problematic on some machines running Symantec's Norton Security.  We have not confirmed that the problem was with Symantec / Adobe / other vendors - we found alternate solutions rather than struggle
  • Options such as blocking sites by URL or by IP are less that straight forward to implement or easy to find in Norton's extensive control options
  • We still like some of the features in Norton Utilities but it is not available in Multiple license versons
  • There are far too many Norton affiliate sites that mimic Symantec Norton sales and renewals .

Things we really really hate about Norton Internet Security (NIS):

We are web masters for over 100 internet sites, all of them small businesses, most of them 1 to 25 employees. 

Symantec's NIS, Norton Internet Security or Norton 360 has a web browser / search engine component that rates sites as safe /  unchecked / unsafe.  The unchecked sites show up with a gray icon next to the listing in the search engines indicating that the site should be suspect

Some of our small business sites that show in the major search engines have been shown to be 'unrated'  (including this one)  for over three years even though the Norton Internet Security browser window says the sites have been queued to be rated (once we click on that browser icon option for Norton to give us more security info). 

We do not object to waiting for a safe rating but having this rating denied for an extended time has an impact on businesses. It is a restraint of trade indicating an unrated sites as untrusted

There are Symantec Account and Symantec log-on options to help remedy this situation but we and our business clients do not have the time, wherewithal, inclination and financial resources to waltz to Symantec's / Norton's music.  We find Norton's / Symantec's demand to do this as insulting to our privacy instincts and open internet mantra.

These unrated sites are small cities, businesses or  personal sites.  All are at a competitive disadvantage because of this (lack of) safe rating.  A few of these sites are ours but almost the entirety are sites unrelated to us or anything we do (is a class action suit necessary?)

We would sue Norton / Symantec for restraint of trade if we were wealthy or had a corporate legal department.  As consultants this is almost enough to make us recommend the Zone Alarm Internet Security suite for our clients (we do recommend Zone Alarm for more technical users.) 

We object to these demands for information and invasions of our privacy that companies such as Norton / Symantec make

We keep going back to Norton / Symantec because they have gotten to be so good in protecting us and good with customer service but as soon as we find a security company with American Service and equal quality we will go with them.

And still some of our sites are Unrated by Norton / Symantec after having been submitted to them 5 years ago.

Norton 360 and Norton Internet Security. (NIS) by Symantec

Highlights:

-  Norton Internet Security 2013 and Norton 360 are simply the best for people who do not want to worry about security on the PC

- Norton Internet Security and other Norton products stop working when your license expires

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