Reading, UK – 17 September, 2008 – Symantec, Corp. (NASDAQ: SYMC) today launched Norton Internet Security 2009 and Norton AntiVirus 2009 in Europe, Middle East and Africa, raising the standard for speed and performance. The Norton 2009 products were designed with a “zero-impact” performance goal, supported by more than 300 improvements that span nearly every aspect of the product, from the scanning engines to the user interface.
Norton 2009 Key Facts:
Light on Resources
Re-engineered for speed, Norton 2009 includes hundreds of performance enhancements and introduces new technologies:
• Community intelligence-driven Norton Insight technology removes the need to scan common files, thus greatly reducing the number of files that have to be scanned regularly
• Pulse Updates every 5 to 15 minutes deliver the latest protection updates faster than any other competitor, according to a recent report by AV-Test(2)
Independent third party test lab, PassMark Software was commissioned to benchmark Symantec and top security software competitors’ performance impact on key metrics(3). Highlights from this report include:
• Fastest install — Norton Internet Security 2009 installs in only 52 seconds
• Least working memory usage — Norton Internet Security 2009 uses less than 7MB
• Fastest quick scan — Norton Internet Security 2009 scans in only 33 seconds
Comprehensive Protection
Norton 2009 includes the Norton Protection System, a multi-layered system of technologies that work in concert to stop threats before they impact you. The Norton Protection System includes:
• Browser protection for both Firefox and IE safeguards you from Web-based attacks
• Enhanced Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) engine for multimedia attacks
• SONAR advanced protection for real-time protection from unknown threats
• Antibot protection
• System recovery tool for deep infections
Independent security software testing firm, AV-Test recently released results of their malware protection analysis of the 2009 security suites. AV-Test included the Norton Internet Security 2009 beta against 33 other well-known suites and virus scanners. Key findings from this report were that Norton Internet Security 2009 beta ranked at the top of the list by:
• Detecting 98 percent of malware
• Detecting 95 percent of spyware
• Producing no false positives
New Usability Enhancements
Norton 2009 delivers the best customer experience through features that solve daily problems:
• Silent mode suspends alerts and updates automatically to avoid interrupting or slowing activities such as games, movies or presentations
• Smart scheduler handles scans, updates and other activities when the PC is idle, and processes retreat into the background within milliseconds of user activity
• New user interface (UI) streamlines the experience so users can reach important features with a single click, and advanced users can configure custom settings with ease
• Lightweight UI includes advanced performance meter to detail CPU usage at any given time
Free Technical Support
• Symantec provides free, unlimited 24x7 email, chat and phone support for a period of one year from initial installation of this product*. Regular Internet connection fees and call charges apply. For full details and to access support, go to www.symantec.com/globalsupport.
• In addition to free worldwide support, Symantec now hosts a thriving Norton Users Forum beta which is open to the public and averages 1,000 new posts weekly
* Customers are now entitled to free phone support for a period of one year from initial product installation for assistance with product troubleshooting, configuration and installation issues.
Quotes:
“Today’s Norton is now proven to be faster and stronger than ever before,” said Rowan Trollope senior vice president, Consumer Business, Symantec. “The products run light on the system, install in less than a minute and include industry first features like Norton Insight, which dramatically reduces the number of files that have to be scanned.”
“This is the highest quality consumer product we’ve ever shipped,” Trollope continued. “We’re especially pleased to be able to offer free support via web, email (where available), chat or phone to every 2009 customer worldwide.”
User comments on Norton Internet Security 2009 from 3rd party usability study on security suites(4):
• “Norton: Easy to install, self-explanatory, functionality was great.”
• “Overall, it’s more thorough and easier to manipulate.”
• “Wow…that was really fast…”
Pricing and Availability
Norton Internet Security 2009 and Norton AntiVirus 2009 is available for purchase in UK from September through the Symantec online store at www.symantecstore.com as well as various retail locations and online.
The suggested retail price for Norton Internet Security 2009 is £49.99 for a three PC license, which includes a one-year service subscription to use the product and receive Symantec’s protection updates. The suggested retail price of Norton AntiVirus 2009 is £39.99 which includes a one-year service subscription to use the product and receive Symantec’s protection updates. All Norton Internet Security and Norton AntiVirus users with a valid product subscription are eligible to receive the latest product updates via the subscription service model. For more information, visit the Norton Update center at www.norton.com/update.
(1) PassMark Software testing performed on a Windows Vista system with Intel Core 2 Duo 6300 & 1GB of RAM. Full report: PassMark Software
(2) AV-Test Labs (www.av-test.org)
(3) PassMark Software testing performed on a Windows Vista system with Intel Core 2 Duo 6300 & 1GB of RAM. Full report: PassMark Software
(4) Human Factors International, Usability Test Report on security software, September 2008
