| Norton Internet Security 2009 |
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| SECURITY | Rating  |
Symantec's products have always had industry-leading detection capabilities, scoring highly in independent tests by bodies such as AV Comparatives and Virus Bulletin with almost predictable regularity. Norton Internet Security 2009 continues the tradition, providing as-good-as-you-can get security.
Norton Internet Security 2009 undoubtedly offers the advanced and reliable detection capabilities that SOHOs need to secure their systems and data against today's increasingly diverse and sophisticated array of threats.
| PERFORMANCE and SUPPORT | Rating |
Performance during virus scanning was excellent. The Quick Scan option found 1 item and gave a description of that item (it was a tracking cookie) before removing it. This scan took less than 10 minutes. The full system scan took longer than other security software I've used but the real-time System CPU usage meter didn't jump past 10%; even when browsing in Firefox while scanning was in progress. There were a few instances where the System and Norton CPU usage meters jumped up towards 80% but this instances were few and far between and only lasted a second or two. The full system scan took approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes to complete.
Support for Norton Internet Security 2009 was a pleasant surprise. It's free. Yes, free. Granted there is a "premium" support level that Symantec charges for but the free support comes in three flavors: phone, email, and web-based. Most users should be able to find what they need using one of these methods.
| PRICE TO VALUE | Rating  |
At $69.99 for a three PC license, Norton Internet Security 2009 is certainly competitvely priced; the combination of low cost, performance and industry-leading detection capabilities makes the product an extremely appealing choice for SOHOs.
CONCLUSION
The highlight of Norton Internet Security 2009 is not just the streamlined interface and the extremely useful collection of internet security tools. The highlight is the dramatic improvement on performance and the efficient manner in which system resources are managed to optimize that performance. All of these bullet points should be at the top of your list when selecting an internet security suite. Symantec has a winner on their hands with Norton Internet Security 2009.
A free 15 day trial of Norton Internet Security can be downloaded from Symantec's website.
Check out our reviews of other Norton products: Norton AntiVirus 2009 and Norton 360.
Not sure whether Norton Internet Security, Norton 360 or Norton AntiVirus is the best choice for you? Read our detailed comparison to find out.
Norton vs McAfee
Can't decide whether to buy Norton Internet Security 2009 or McAfee Internet Security 2009? Read our article Norton vs McAfee: Which Internet Security Program is Better? to find out which product will give you the most bang for your buck.
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