Symantec Norton Internet Security 2009

At a Glance:  Symantec Norton Internet Security 2009 seems to be a winner this year. There are some impressive improvements for this package putting it at or near the top.

The Triple "E" Keys

Firewall:  The firewall is incredibly smart so you don't get a million of questions about what programs have permission to access the Internet. It just does it invisibly though you have custom rules if you want them. It runs in "stealth" mode which means that those mean hackers can't even find the doorways to your computer so they can't break in.

Malware:  The antivirus module is also excellent. One of the best new features--and we're seeing similar approaches with other companies--is called Insight. One way antivirus software works is to check files on the computer against a list of known threats (blacklisting). But viruses mutate and thousands of new ones show up all the time. Every time a new variant appears, much of the scanning overhead happens again. This can bog down the system.

Insight does the opposite. It keeps a list of known good files (white listing), like outlook.exe, and just doesn't scan them. Because there are more known files than unknown files, scanning just the unknown files saves time and resources. Symantec Norton Internet Security 2009 uses Insight to store the list on Norton servers and makes it available to the software via the Internet. Result: more efficient virus scanning.

Of course, it's more complicated in practice but it does work and it's a great boost to the software running on your computer. Incidentally, Insight is a different approach than other software companies take.

I'm also giving high marks for the antispyware part of Symantec Norton Internet Security 2009. It cleaned out and kept out spyware, adware, and keyloggers. Not a perfect score on the keyloggers but neither did other packages. On the whole it was very good.

And since best-security-software.com recommends a complete security plan, you'll discover other steps here to take in addition to a great security package.

Install/Uninstall:  Installation is fast and very easy and requires no reboot! Symantec Norton Internet Security 2009 scores big on this one. Uninstall? Like most, it leaves a few files and folders laying around but the process was clean and fast.

There is one small annoyance to me that Symantec and others are famous for. If you download a trial version you have to provide a bunch of personal info. I prefer an anonymous download and a simple expiration date. Also, you must "register" your software with them. I've never liked this about software companies. After all, I haven't decided to buy anything yet. It's a privacy thing.

Setup/Use:  Setup is easy. There are a lot of sub-menus in the customization options but you can just install it and forget it if you want to. And let's face it: most people want to. Using the product is similar; you really don't have to do anything--just let it work in the background.

I'm not crazy about the actual user interface and never have been, but that could just be me.

Help:  Symantec Norton Internet Security 2009 offers several forms of free help although you may have to pay for really tough issues through phone support. Even that seems reasonable if you really need it which is unlikely for most people.

I personally like the context sensitive help in each of the options for tweaking the software. I believe this is a must for all software.

Norton has had quite a few support complaints in past years but that seems to be resolved these days.

Performance:  Wow! A Norton product that is fast and effective? Can't be. But it is.

With the Insight technology and other improvements, Norton Internet Security 2009 scores fantastically. Folks with a reasonably modern PC won't notice much of a system performance hit at all. It's fast and efficient. Hard to believe.

Most chores are done in the background when the CPU is NOT busy, including updates. You hardly even know it's there and that is HUGE!. Nor does it bug you with dozens of "Oh by the way, what do you want to do with this issue" messages.

Value:  Norton covers three PCs at home for $69.99 or less depending on your source. That's a bit at the high end but remember when you had to pay fore EACH license? Still a good value in my book.

Bottom Line:  Symantec Norton Internet Security 2009 gets high marks from the Triple E Scores. Nice going, Symantec. I'm paying attention again so keep it up!