9.9

Norton 360 Version 6.0

For just $99.99AUD, Norton 360 Version 6.0 offers PC users total protection from a wide variety of both known and yet to be discovered threats. This includes viruses, Spam and Trojans from the traditional threat landscape to more modern attacks such as identity theft, Bots and Malware. Add social network protection, regular back-ups and PC tune-ups and this programs addresses a variety of important facets of your computer without any compromise to performance.

Key Features

• PC tune-up
• Automatic backup
• 2 GB of secured online storage
• Parental Controls Management
• Online identity protection
• Phishing protection
• Smart firewall
• Network mapping and monitoring
• Pulse updates
• Antivirus
• Antispyware
• Antispam
• Worm protection
• Rootkit protection

The flawless installation process

Another highlight of the program is that no matter what your computer knowledge is, the installation of Norton 360 Version 6.0 is never a daunting process. The installation on your test machine took under a minute and once installed on our PC, the program proceeded to update itself to ensure that our system was protected. I'm always surprised at how fast the installation is of the previous Norton products and version 6 was no exception to this rule.

Easy to navigate interface

The interface of Norton 360 version 6.0 is reminiscent of previous editions, however there are a few new changes to the interface such as Norton Management. Given that, some users will never need to enter the interface of Norton 360 as the software silently sits in the background of your PC, protecting your PC and automatically updating the software to ensure "360" protection.

As you can see from the above screenshot, the program is divided into four main categories that include PC Security, Identity, Backup and PC Tune-up. If something is amiss, this will screen will inform the user by changing the colour of the icon to red. The program also offers two scans, a quick scan and a full scan.

A quick scan will scan only certain files on your computer, whereas a full scan will scan every single file that can be quite time consuming if you have a considerable amount of files. However quick scan is generally more than enough and with its built-in SONAR 4 behavioural protection heuristics, this will keep an eye on new files that are not yet in the database.

Norton Quick Scan

As mentioned, another new aspect of the interface is Norton Management which is a central hub for your Norton products and basically allows you to manage installs, transfers, renews and even PC health of all all your PC's. This is ideal for businesses or even families who may have several PC's. Norton Management can be accessed anywhere in the world. I accessed my home computers from work and it was quite easy to get this data.

Identity Safe

As mentioned, the software protects your identity and through the Norton Identify Safe online vault, this stores your login and banking details on the encrypted Norton Cloud. This feature can even be expanded to non-banking sites such as Facebook and other important logins such as work.

What I did like about the Identify Safe of Norton was that you can log onto sites with just a click of the mouse as your passwords are stored securely. This also protects you against keyloggers. If you do come across a malicious website, Norton 360 will immediately warn you and will block the site thanks to Norton Safe Web Browser Protection. This is also similar to dodgy links on Facebook walls or e-mails.

The advanced settings of Norton 360

For those users who need to tweak the software, the settings for software can be quite comprehensive as a majority of facets can be modified or disabled. One of my favourite features of version 6.0 is the new Bandwidth Management that limits when the software updates itself.

For example, if you are accessing the internet through a mobile network, the program will only download critical updates so when you are back at your base, the program can then use your office or home bandwidth. Definitely ideal to keep your usage charges down.

System Insight

System Insight returns in version 6.0 which not only gives you detailed information about your computer's CPU and Memory but also a three month record of a wide gamut of Norton data such as downloads, installs, detects, alerts, quick scans and optimisations.

Apart from protecting your PC from security threats, the product contains a powerful backup element which allows for both online and offline backups. From USB sticks to blu-ray discs, there are a considerable amount of choices. Add in a disc optimisation program and this defrags your drives, ensuring faster access to computer files. Add in PC Tune-up and your computer should run as smooth as the day you received your new system by removing clutter and checking start-up files.

Final Thoughts

Once again Norton by Symantec prove why they are the leader of the packs in both internet security and pc tune-up. Norton 360 provides total 360 protection from all facets of cybercrime and offers comprehensive tools to keep your PC performance top shape plus the inclusion scheduled back-ups. Add in 24x7 support, social network protection and the new Norton Management and Bandwidth Management and this software package is all you need to keep your computer safe and fast.

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