| |
| |
![]() |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
When it comes to security software, some of you may suffer a love-hate relationship. Like visiting the dentist, you wish you could avoid it totally but know you must make the effort.
Part of the reason why we all love to hate security software is the way it reacts on your system.
More often than not, it causes a noticeable slow-down so you can't run some programs or open too many windows. There're also the annoying pop-ups and the time along with some degree of expertise that's needed to install the software.
Armed with a long list of similar complaints the team at Symantec worked on its 2009 Norton Internet Security suite that first appeared in 2008 as a Beta and now as a full suite.
It is enticing users with a promise of a light-weight yet heavy on features program that takes less than a minute to set up. The other selling point, the 2009 suite won't take up too much of your PC's resources so you won't find your system visibly (and annoyingly) slowing down.
Putting Norton Internet Security 2009 through its paces, I decided that since not everyone has the latest and the best in desktop or laptop, it should be loaded into my trusty Sony laptop with an Intel Pentium M 1.1 GHz processor, 512MB RAM and 20GB of memory.
Despite the odds, the 2009 package managed to run pretty impressively.
It did take less than 60 seconds to load, but the new software required the uninstiall of some other software, so I ended up sitting in front of the laptop for more than just a minute.
But with the clock still running, I decided to test the package on another laptop, this time with no other security software and running on Intel's Core 2 Duo with 1GB RAM and 100 GB memory. The result, installation in less than 60 seconds.
Back on the trusty old laptop, I found that Symantec as promised, had taken up a small footprint.
Still smarting from my last security software encounter (by another firm) that had me nearly breaking the laptop out of sheer frustration during a scan that paralysed the PC, I calmed myself and initiated the NIS 2009 scan.
As the scan ran in the background, I chanced a crawl on the web visiting a few portals...no problem.
To tax the system a little more, a document was opened, followed by another... still no hiccup.
With just 512 MB RAM and a little over 1GHz of processing power, the little VAIO should've been straining and screaming, if laptops could scream. Yet, there was none, neither from the device nor from its user.
As David Hall, Asia-Pacific Product Manager for Symantec explains, Norton 2009 uses a community-driven "whitelist" that removes the need to scan common operating systems and known "clean" files.
By doing so, the total number of files that need to be scanned with each run is lower and scans are cut to a fraction of the time seen in past versions.
The system is able to offer users this light yet mighty feature as the team behind it had also designed the 2009 series to behave like a screen saver by handling security tasks in the background and scheduling such tasks when a user is not actively using the computer.
According to the team at Symantec, all this started with the premise that security products should be neither seen nor heard.
To silently and securely protect users, Symantec conducted a complete overhaul of the product, examining every line of code, each byte and feature, in the name of extracting as much performance benefit as possible from the software while staying out of the way of the end-user. This it certainly does.
Users who like the option of simply putting in software and then forgetting about it, will like the 2009 offering from Symantec.
The only time I get a note from the Symantec on board is when the One-Click Log-in pop-up appears to ask if I want to store my user name and password details for easy logins on the internet, which some may find handy.
The other time there is a prompt is when the system wants to download an update. This was a setting I chose being a control freak, even over applications.
Clicking on the desktop or taskbar shortcut to Symantec's Internet Security 2009 suite will bring you to the stylish looking control panel, where you can customise the look further and then decide on what you want, don't want and prefer to be prompted about.
There are also some added extras which you can download from Symantec free of charge such as the Parental Control and Privacy Control options which are part of the Norton Add-On pack which is available to those who have purchased the security software.
Again, the experience was swift with everything from downloading to installing the optional software done in under five minutes.
What I also really like about the 2009 Internet Security package from Symantec is its ability to detect when a laptop is operating on battery power so that automatic tasks will not be initiated.
The suite kicks in only when the laptop is attached to power mains and left idle for a short while, this is when a scan (if there hasn't been one for a while) will run or an update will be initiated. Very smart.
There are a host of protective layers from SONAR to Bloodhound Heuristics and SPAM control, but I believe what users really want is something that works well.
While the bells and whistles are great, it's best that the system put in place does the job with as little fuss as possible. That's why I also appreciate the visual but effective icons that tell me after a web search which sites should be avoided, so you're saved the hassles.
This Web Site Authentication feature works however only on Firefox and Internet Explorer.
So does it mean that Mac and Safari users are again left out in the cold?
Not quite, according to Symantec's David Hall, who says an updated integrated security solution for Macintosh is in the works.
While most Mac users believe they don't need security software, the reality is attacks are shifting to target individuals, not particular platforms, models or operating systems.
A Symantec Internet Security Threat Report has found that attacks these days go beyond traditional viruses and occur more often through social networking sites. This is where information is phished since users are more liable to give out personal information to people they think are in their trusted network.
This means users of all operating systems are vulnerable to hackers who are turning to "social engineering" attacks.
In terms of platform, IE and Microsoft remain more vulnerable and with the new Mac line capable of running Windows, there is a sliver of a chance that your device could become compromised. So it's a good idea to have some level of protection if your Mac is running both OS.
And yes, you can load Norton Internet Security 2009 for Windows onto the Mac if it has a Windows OS installed.
A Mac user with both platforms gamely installed NIS 2009 on the drive running Windows OS. The process was very quick and painless with no system conflicts reported so far.
With an application that is now light and non-intrusive, yet strong in defence, installing and running security software on your PC doesn't have to be like pulling out teeth.
|
