Norton 360 | Nothing better than this

A simple anti-virus was enough to breath easy, but today, you need to be protected not just from viruses, but also from adware, malware, spyware, malicious scripts and backing up data is also mission critical. Enter Norton 360.

Norton has become synonymous with security applications in this part of the world. You might love it or hate it but you can never ignore this big daddy of computer security. Over the years, Symantec has introduced various security and non-security applications apart from their widely-used Norton Antivirus. These now include Norton Ghost, Norton Internet Security, and Norton SystemWorks.

Norton 360 is designed to offer more than just protection from malicious content. It also offers back up of data, PC tuning, and above all, it takes all the necessary decisions and saves you from those annoying security pop-up issues. It also offers the ability to back up a maximum of 2 GB of your data on the Symantec servers. You can buy additional space if required. Those who have used Symantec products earlier are in for a totally different experience when they use Norton 360 as it deviates from the functionality experience when compared to other Symantec applications.

Look and Feel

Norton 360 is designed to work only with Windows Vista and XP. It requires about 300 MB of disk space and this is justified if we consider the humongous number of features it offers. We installed Norton 360 on a Windows Vista machine and were surprised to find that the installation was really quick. Once you have finished the installation, you are required to create an account with Symantec to be eligible to receive the Norton 360 updates. The registration process is simple—you simply need to enter a valid e-mail address, set a password, and provide some general information to  set up this account. With it, you also become eligible for the 2 GB backup space provided by Norton 360 on the Symantec servers.

At first glance, the main screen is quite appealing to behold and we were impressed by the uncluttered design. The interface is well laid out. Usually, antivirus applications list all the features on the main window. The interface of Norton 360 is different in that it displays only the main features and not all of them. This is good design sense, considering that a screen full of  confusing features could intimidate and confuse first-time users. The traditional yellow background used by Norton is present in the interface of this version as well. The interface is divided into four huge modules that occupy about 90 percent of the window. The four modules represent four different functional areas: PC Security, Transaction Security, Backup and Restore and PC Tuneup. Each module contains a list of various diagnostics and tools along with their status. Also, a summary of all the functionalities is displayed on each module. You will see a green checkmark on each module if everything is functioning well. If something goes wrong in any of these areas, you will see a red cross. This at-a-glance feature found in most security products nowadays.

A toolbar atop the main window provides quick access to 'Scans', 'Tasks & Settings', 'My Account', 'Help', and 'Support'. For accessing the other program functions, you will have to get to the advanced configuration of the application from the 'Tasks & Settings' option.

Features
Norton 360 integrates an antivirus, antispyware, antirootkit protection, antiphishing, a firewall, a backup utility and a PC tuning utility. Also, it is enhanced with the nice-sounding SONAR (Symantec Online Network for Advanced Response) technology—an early warning system that improves malware detection. 
Online backing up of data is something that is pioneered by Symantec. With this feature, you can select the type of file or folder you want to take a backup of. However, the online backup concept might be popular only among those who need to secure important data and aren't concerned about the cost. If you are a normal home user and do not have a cheap internet connection, it would make sense to store only the data that you would not frequently require, but still need to be protected. It would also be better if you store it manually instead of setting Norton 360 to do it automatically. You can store 2 GB of data online for free. If you need more, you can purchase up to 25 GB of storage space for $69.99 (Approximately Rs 2,877). This online storage can save your data from being lost by a hardware failure or a natural calamity.
The PC tune-up feature offers only a few basic tools to optimize the performance of your computer, but would definitely not appeal to advanced users.

With thousands of phishing sites mushrooming, it was a good idea to include a simple-to-use antiphishing tool underthe 'Transaction Security' feature.